"I guess presidential should be emphasized, the person who did the setup did the same things for President George W. Bush."

Reuters photographer Joe Skipper tells us all about the day of Tiger's statement reading and how the highly orchestrated event played out.

We gathered at the Marriott Sawgrass Convention Center, located about a mile from the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse, where the event was held. We were ‘registered’ by PGA employees, our drivers licenses checked, and we received special credentials labeled ‘pool media’.

It had the feel of a Secret Service wrangling. Where the pool participants are identified, and then placed in a ‘holding room’ prior to a specifically timed and coordinated departure. Reporters from AP, Reuters and several other organizations joined us. The only thing missing was the checking of our gear and the presence of a four-footed friend.

Good to see the PGA Tour coordinating so much and on such short notice!

As we walked into the room, a look at the audience front row revealed Tiger’s mother, Kultida Woods. Further down was Tim Finchem, PGA Tour Commissioner, and Tiger’s college friend, PGA golfer Notah Begay. It was remarkably quiet in the room, the most notable sound coming from the television camera operators speaking with their director. Our group took particular interest in Tiger’s mother, who reacted to the camera sounds with an occasional annoyed look. We were given freedom to move in the back of the room and on the side with most of the TV lights on it. We waited for 11 a.m. surrounded by silence.

So, I guess it goes without saying that a good time wasn't had by all?

"They understand this hurt us. And I believe that."

Ron Green Jr., talking to Cliffs developer Jim Anthony about his project and attending Tiger's statement reading last week:

Anthony was among the invited guests to Woods' public statement last Friday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., in which Woods apologized for cheating on his wife. He hadn't spoken with Woods since last fall.

They met by chance in a hallway inside the clubhouse before Woods made his statement. Anthony said he heard someone call his name. He turned and saw Woods.

"He gave me a big hug," Anthony said. "There's been a lot of water under the bridge since I'd seen him. He thanked me for being there and for my support and he said, 'We're really going to work hard.'

"I saw commitment in his eyes. I saw remorse and gratitude. I thought he was sincere, and they pledged to us they're going to work harder than ever. They understand this hurt us. And I believe that."

"The emotional toll will present a significant challenge to Woods' eventual return to golf."

Post-Tiger statement-reading, I expected Jaime Diaz's March April Golf Digest story on Tiger to not be as timely considering it was probably filed weeks before Tiger's public appearance. However, it remains a fascinating read highlighted by some intriguing conclusions from Diaz, who appears to have more access to the the Woods team than anyone else in the media.

The emotional toll will present a significant challenge to Woods' eventual return to golf. His greatest advantage as a player has long been the otherworldly knack for playing his best when he needed to most. It came with a clean mind free of baggage, serene under pressure. It was an ability he believed he earned through diligent practice on the right things. One that made him feel crucial eight-footers on the 72nd green deserved to go in, one that made him feel good about himself. "If you walk up to a mirror, look at yourself and say, with no hesitation, 'I love myself,' then everything is fine," he told me during an interview in 1999. "That has never been a problem my entire life." Now, however, it's reasonable to surmise that it is.

Alan Shipnuck offers a far different take on the statement-reading in this week's SI:

Woods said he doesn't know when he will return to golf, and judging by his fragility, it won't be any time soon. At some point he will reclaim his destiny as a golfer, but it is now an open question whether he will be the same player he was. Part of what made Woods such a relentless achiever was his selfishness. He gave nothing beyond his performance. He played the gentleman's game in a controlled rage, hocking loogies, chucking clubs and dropping f bombs. If you didn't like it, too bad. All his recent soul-searching, though, has convinced Woods that he is not exempt from golf's code of conduct. "When I do return, I need to make my behavior more respectful of the game," he said on Friday. Easier said than done, perhaps: Tiger is not Arnie, who could play with controlled fury, then throttle back once the final putt had dropped.

The Miami Herald's Greg Cote makes a strong case that the statement reading was far more humiliating than many have realized.

For circumventing a news conference he's the manipulating control freak. But if he had a news conference and chosen not to answer the most intrusive questions, he would have been decried as dodging. The majority of media -- insulted by Woods being in control, angry over the many weeks of silence or simply not wanting to appear soft -- was predisposed to blast Woods' statement as a sham before he ever uttered a word.

Get this straight: No law required that Woods submit to media interrogation as if on trial. He was perfectly entitled to handle it the way he did without the presumption of disingenuousness just because reporters were not there to cross-examine.

The biggest insult in my line of work is to be seen as soft or gullible, but sometimes you need to risk those labels to get to any place close to compassion.

For an iconic athlete of this echelon, especially one who grooms his image so carefully, the public shame alone is the greatest punishment.

"Too Much Sex Can Be a Bad Thing....For Little Tigers Too. Help Keep Your Cats (and Dogs) Out of Trouble: Always Spay or Neuter!"

Eloísa Ruano González of the Orlando Sentinel reports on the most brazen attempt yet to milk Tiger's misfortune. This one probably will end with an angry letter on really, really nice stock stationery.

The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals is searching for a local advertiser to put up a billboard in Windermere, which will include an image of Woods and text: "Too Much Sex Can Be a Bad Thing....For Little Tigers Too. Help Keep Your Cats (and Dogs) Out of Trouble: Always Spay or Neuter!"

It will be a challenge to find an advertiser to put up the sign, acknowledged Virginia Fort, a campaigner with PETA who is working on the project.

"It's a fun, tongue-in-cheek approach. We hope these billboard companies will understand," Fort said.

She said the billboard isn't meant to offend the golfer, his family or fans, but to prevent millions of cats and dogs from being euthanized at shelters each year.

Then again, Tiger's bio on his own website isn't helping matters, as reader Jon noticed this line: "In addition to his playing exploits, Woods is busy off the course, too."

"This is why they became rock stars, so they don't have to apologize. God bless them."

A different take on Tiger from Mark Morford of the San Francisco Chronicle:

But here's the bigger truth: Tiger wasn't apologizing to actual people, to his wife or kids or even his confused fans. Tiger was apologizing, straight up and to the bone, to capitalism itself. To his own brand. It was a scary attempt to shore up the multimillions in endorsement deals, his future as a billion-dollar icon. Tiger the man was apologizing to Tiger, Inc., mostly for tainting its earnings potential.

It's the golden rule of capitalism: Don't f-- with a hot brand. It's blasphemy of the highest order, made doubly potent by the fact that we're the ones who helped create the brand in the first place, who bought into the saccharine lie and absurd marketing BS of Tiger's impossible squeaky faultlessness.

It's a bit like Coca-Cola stepping forth and admitting, "Gosh, so sorry for making everyone obese and contributing to global diabetes rates, but you know what? You buy our garbage, don't you? You actully believe the silly commercials with the polar bears and the singing children. You really think sticky goopy chemical-laden high-fructose water is refreshing and healthy? Really?"

It also points up a terrifying trend, a broad and rather pathetic theme in our culture: Precious few are the celebrities, politicians, sports icons or rock stars who would dare step in front of a camera after some sort of "scandalous" misbehavior and smile, or even laugh, shrug it all off and tell everyone to lighten the hell up and go worry about something important. Well, maybe a few rock stars. This is why we love them. This is why they became rock stars, so they don't have to apologize. God bless them.