MyVanessa, former daughter-in-law of US President Donald Trump, appeared in court when her boyfriend Tiger Woods pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and refusing to take the required test.
Woods wore a suit and tie and went to the Martin County Courthouse, Florida, with his girlfriend Vanessa at just after 8 a.m. on September 2. He kept a serious look as he walked through the long line of reporters.
Minutes later, Woods appeared in the courtroom, stood before the judge and changed his testimony. Initially, the 50-year-old golfer was charged with driving under the influence (DUI). But according to an agreement with the prosecution, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of dangerous driving (reckless driving), in exchange for his driver's license being suspended for 5 years.
Woods had an accident in Jupiter, Florida on March 27. According to police investigation, this golfer was driving at high speed on a coastal road and collided with a tractor-trailer, then overturned. The collision caused about $5,000 in damage to the truck.
Woods got out of the car on his own and was not injured. He later admitted to police that he was looking at his phone and changing radio channels at the time of the accident. Breath test results did not detect alcohol levels in Woods' body. However, according to police, the former world number one golfer refused to take a urine test.
A Martin County Sheriff's Office report said officers found two opioid pills in Woods' pocket and noticed he was showing signs of being under the influence.
Woods then spent time undergoing treatment at a rehabilitation facility in Switzerland and was largely out of the public eye since returning to the US until August.
Before the accident, Woods was getting closer to returning to play and was expected to participate in The Masters - one of golf's four most important major tournaments. He has not played since The Open Championship 2024 at Royal Troon, Scotland. During this time, Woods underwent surgery to treat a ruptured Achilles tendon and had his seventh back surgery.
Woods' legal troubles come as his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She publicly announced information about this issue in May.
The March accident was the fourth serious traffic incident of Woods' adult life. 5 years ago, he lost control of his car and crashed down a slope in California. The American golfer was not charged with driving under the influence of drugs. However, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office determined that Woods was driving at about 80 mph (129 km/h), nearly twice the legal limit, at the time of the accident.
Witnesses told TMZ that Woods appeared upset and impatient as he left the parking lot of a golf tournament shortly before the crash. Woods was not prosecuted after the incident that year.
In 2017, Woods was found unconscious in his car at 3 a.m. by Jupiter police at a location about 24 km from home. Upon closer inspection, police discovered the car was damaged. Woods had no alcohol in his system, but tests later found the active ingredient of marijuana, the painkillers Vicodin and Dilaudid, the sleeping pill Ambien and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax.
Woods explained that he self-medicated to relieve pain after his fourth back surgery and treat insomnia. He did not specifically mention marijuana and was not found to be in possession of the substance. Woods later pleaded guilty to unsafe driving and was placed on probation for a year, fined $250, and ordered to perform 50 hours of community service. During his probation, he was also prohibited from drinking alcohol.
In July 2017, Woods completed a private treatment program to address pain medication dependence.
Woods' most notorious accident occurred in 2009, when the Cadillac Escalade he was driving crashed into a fire hydrant, a tree and many bushes near his house.
Woods suffered minor injuries and received a ticket for careless driving. He thanked his then-wife, Elin Nordegren, for helping him get out of the car, but the story of the accident afterward was met with many doubts.
Just a few days before the incident, the National Enquirer published information accusing Woods of having an affair with Rachel Uchitel, a widow whose husband died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the manager of a nightclub in New York. From this incident, Woods was exposed to having affairs with dozens of other women, which he later admitted was a sex addiction.
