Ron Artest’s Advice to Tiger Woods
December 16, 2009
On Tuesday, one of the NBA’s most famous and infamous players, Ron Artest, came to the defense of fallen golf superstar Tiger Woods.
In a touching, and definitely bizarre letter titled “An Open Letter to Tiger Woods,” the Los Angeles Lakers forward came forward on his website RonArtest.com, defending Woods, who in the last week admitted to marital infidelity to his wife of five years, Elin Nordgren Woods.
Woods, who has won 14 majors, is the No. 1 golfer in the world. After a Thanksgiving evening crash, his world has come crashing down however, as several women have come out and admitted to having extramarital affairs with the 33-year-old Woods. Last Friday, Woods announced that he’d take an indefinite leave of absence from the sport to deal with the personal issues.
Amongst the many things that Artest confessed to in his letter, was infidelity of his own, admitting that his third child was born to a woman other than his wife, who he has known since he was 14-years-old. He has three other children with her as well.
Artest goes on to blame the media for the perception of Woods that it’s created, and later condones Woods for his role in raising the profile of the entire sport of golf. In the letter, Artest said,
There are a lot of sports announcers and regular reporters who are not perfect in their own homes, yet they want to bring you down. You have done so much for people, the sport of golf, and your family and you gave your wife a life that people can’t even dream of.
He concludes the letter asking everyone to support Woods and his family, “in these tough times.”
Artest of course has become famous through the years, for his zany and questionable decisions on and off the court. He was suspended during the 2004-2005 for 73 games for going into the stands and attacking a fan in Detroit after on the court brawl. It was the longest suspension given to any player in NBA history that did not involve gambling.
Since the suspension, Artest has played for the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets, as well as the Los Angeles Lakers, a team he signed with this past off-season.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
