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Campbell Brown

Tiger Woods Breaks Silence

Aired February 19, 2010 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody.

It has been a day of all Tiger all the time. And his mea culpa is stopping the "Mash-Up" tonight. As always, we're watching it all, so you don't have to.

The golf legend issued his apology in front of a small group of friends and family, but just outside, media circus in full swing today. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The media presence here was simply massive, more than 200 reporters from as far away as Japan and even Norway.

But they could have been that far away, because we didn't get very close to Tiger Woods at all. You see that building over my shoulder? That's a hotel ballroom that's at least a half-a-mile away from the clubhouse where Tiger made his apology.

TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I don't get to play by different rules.

DIANE SAWYER, HOST, "WORLD NEWS": All around the globe, people stopped to watch, in restaurants, on the huge screen in Times Square, golfers, corporate sponsors, his fans, including the kids who idolized him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the pages of Twitter, Tiger is still a hero to some, while, for others, his press conference was like nails on a chalkboard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After the event, Tiger and his mother, Kultida, embraced, and the speculation about his future, both off and on the golf course, began.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would I like for him to play next week? Sure. But I think the real important thing is that, when he comes back, he comes back in a way that begins the process of rebuilding the trust and enthusiasm that fans had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Much more on this story tonight. If you missed Tiger's apology, too, we're going to bring you all the highlights, plus what went into planning this most unusual event today.

But now to Washington, and a bury-the-news-on-a-Friday-night decision from the Justice Department. They have decided not to prosecute the authors of the so-called torture memos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Those were the opinions from Justice Department lawyers during the Bush administration that authorized harsh interrogation techniques, including water-boarding.

KATIE COURIC, HOST, "CBS EVENING NEWS": Today the department concluded the lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee showed poor judgment, but should not face sanctions, which could have included being disbarred.

BLITZER: The Justice Department's Ethics Unit recommending, as a result, no legal consequences.

A lot of liberals out there are going to be very, very disappointed in the Obama administration's Justice Department.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And, sure enough, House Judiciary Chairman Committee Chairman John Conyers vowing to hold hearings on the matter.

To Huntsville, Alabama, now, where the husband of the suspected university shooter is speaking out for the first time. Jim Anderson says he can't understand why Amy Bishop would have opened fire on her colleagues. In an interview with "Good Morning America," he discusses how he learned of the rampage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM ANDERSON, SUSPECT'S HUSBAND: I pulled up to pick her up to go home, and I thought somebody had gone crazy at the school.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you have any idea as to why Amy was being loaded in a cruiser?

ANDERSON: No idea.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you suspect that she might have been involved in anything?

ANDERSON: Nothing, not a bit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jim Anderson does know of one trigger that may have caused his wife to snap.

ANDERSON: It's the battle for tenure. Only someone who has been intimately involved with that fight understands. It's a tough, long, hard battle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think the stress of that tenure fight is involved here? ANDERSON: That I would say is part of the problem, you know, is a factor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Anderson says he hasn't seen his wife since the shooting spree. The couple has been married for 20 years.

President Obama in Vegas and brokering a bit of a truce today. You may recall over the past year he's told pretty much everybody from big banks to average Americans that they shouldn't be blowing their money in Sin City, and that has infuriated Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman.

Here's how the story played out and how the president made amends.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer's dime.

OSCAR GOODMAN (D), MAYOR OF LAS VEGAS: That's outrageous. And he owes us an apology. He owes us a retraction.

OBAMA: When times are tough, you tighten your belts, don't blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you're trying to save for college.

GOODMAN: He's got a problem with us. He's not our friend. This president is a real slow learner.

OBAMA: I did receive a little bit of heat, I know, from maybe some in this room, when I said that folks shouldn't blow their college savings in Vegas.

That doesn't mean I don't love Vegas.

VINCE VAUGHN, ACTOR: Vegas, baby.

JON FAVREAU, ACTOR: Vegas!

VAUGHN: Vegas!

OBAMA: Let me set the record straight: I love Vegas.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Always have.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: I love Vegas.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: In fact, just last night I drew a flush on the river and cut the budget deficit in half. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So we're waiting to see if that actually did the trick for Mayor Goodman. He snubbed the president, declining to greet him at the airport or even show up at today's event.

Back in Washington, the president was flambeed, I guess you could say,, on day two of the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Witness the highlights, starting with Minnesota Governor's Tim Pawlenty's creative analogy involving, who else, Tiger Woods.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM PAWLENTY (R), MINNESOTA: I think we can learn a lot from that situation, not from Tiger, but from his wife.

So, she said, I have had enough. She said, no more.

I think we should take a page out of her playbook and take a nine iron and smash the window out of the big government in this country.

(APPLAUSE)

PAWLENTY: We have had enough.

REP. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: Well, some people around here like to call us the party of no. Well, I say no is way underrated here in Washington, D.C. Sometimes, no is just what this town needs to hear.

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: Greetings to the majority in waiting. How does it feel?

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

BACHMANN: We are in the middle of a political bull market. Doesn't it feel wonderful?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: The highlight of every CPAC gathering, of course, the presidential straw poll. Results will be announced tomorrow.

And that brings us to the "Punchline" tonight, courtesy of David Letterman, who, like millions of Americans, has a bone to pick right now with Toyota.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN")

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": So, Toyota owners now complaining that -- no brakes, No brakes, no steering while driving...

(LAUGHTER)

LETTERMAN: You hit the accelerator and the thing takes off like a bat out of hell. Toyota's official response is, well, that's what the horn is for.

(LAUGHTER)

(BEEPING SOUND)

LETTERMAN: I mean, if the accelerator is broken and the brakes are broken and the steering is broken, is it technically still a car, seriously?

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: David Letterman, everybody. And that is the "Mash-Up."

Can you guess what the top Google search is today? Of course, it's Tiger Woods' apology. And if you didn't see it, we have got the whole amazing thing coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: For 13-and-a-half minutes earlier today, the world stood still, or at least it seemed that way. The stock market slowed to a crawl. Broadcast and cable networks, this one included, broke into their regular programming.

All over the world, millions of people stopped what they were doing, all to hear one man say, my bad.

That man, of course, was Tiger Woods. And listen again to what he said today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOODS: I want to say to each of you simply and directly, I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in.

I know people want to find out how I could be so selfish and so foolish. People want to know how I could have done these things to my wife, Elin, and to my children. And while I have always tried to be a private person, there are some things I want to say. Elin and I have started the process of discussing the damage caused by my behavior. As Elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in the form of words. It will come from my behavior over time.

We have a lot to discuss. However, what we say to each other will remain between the two of us.

I am also aware of the pain my behavior has caused to those of you in this room. I have let you down. And I have let down my fans.

For many of you, especially my friends, my behavior has been a personal disappointment. To those of you who work for me, I have let you down personally and professionally.

I have made you question who I am and how I could have done the things I did. I am embarrassed that I have put you in this position. For all that I have done, I am so sorry.

I have a lot to atone for. But there's one issue I really want to discuss.

Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night. It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that.

Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever.

Elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. Elin deserves praise, not blame.

The issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior. I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did is not acceptable, and I am the only person to blame.

I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in. I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply.

I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to.

I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled.

Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have far -- I didn't have to go far to find them.

I was wrong. I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me.

I brought this shame on myself. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife's family, my friends, my foundation, and kids all around the world who admired me.

I have had a lot of time to think about what I have done. My failures have made me look at myself in a way I never wanted to before.

It's now up to me to make amends. And that starts by never repeating the mistakes I have made. It's up to me to start living a life of integrity.

Parents used to point to me as a role model for their kids. I owe all those families a special apology. I want to say to them that I am truly sorry.

It's hard to admit that I need help, but I do. For 45 days, from the end of December to early February, I was in in-patient therapy receiving guidance for the issues I'm facing. I have a long way to go, but I have taken my first steps in the right direction. As I proceed, I understand people have questions. I understand the press wants me -- wants to ask me for the details and the times I was unfaithful. I understand people want to know whether Elin and I will remain together.

Please know that as far as I'm concerned, every one of these questions and answers is a matter between Elin and me. These are issues between a husband and a wife.

Despite the damage I have done, I still believe it is right to shield my family from the public spotlight. They did not do these things. I did.

My behavior doesn't make it right for the media to follow my two- and-a-half-year-old daughter to school and report the school's location. They staked out my wife and they pursued my mom.

Whatever my wrongdoings, for the sake of my family, please leave my wife and kids alone.

I recognize I have brought this on myself, and I know, above all, I am the one who needs to change. I owe it to my family to become a better person. I owe it to those closest to me to become a better man.

That's where my focus will be. I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it.

Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don't realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years.

Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught.

As I move forward, I will continue to receive help because I have learned that's how people really do change. Starting tomorrow, I will leave for more treatment and more therapy.

In therapy, I have learned the importance of looking at my spiritual life and keeping in balance with my professional life. I need to regain my balance and be centered so I can save the things that are most important to me, my marriage and my children.

That also means relying on others for help. I have learned to seek support from my peers in therapy, and I hope someday to return that support to others who are seeking help.

I do plan to return to golf one day. I just don't know when that day will be. I don't rule out that it will be this year. When I do return, I need to make my behavior more respectful of the game.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BROWN: Tiger Woods in his own words.

A lot to break down from today's highly choreographed confession. Is it enough to save his billion-dollar brand?

Some very different opinions when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: All eyes on Tiger Woods today as he made a rather uncomfortable public apology. It was must-see TV. But, after it ended, a lot of questions remained.

And here with some answers for us is David Dusek, who is senior with "Sports Illustrated"'s golf group, Jemele Hill, who is national columnist for ESPN.com, and ESPN reporter Tom Rinaldi, who is joining as well, who is down in Florida, where this news conference happened today.

So, Tom, let me start with you because of that.

I -- this was, as we have said, highly controlled, highly choreographed. Talk to us a little bit about the planning, what you know from your reporting, that may have gone into this moment. Did he even write the speech himself?

TOM RINALDI, ESPN REPORTER: Well, Campbell, good to be with you.

It was never supposed to be a press conference. It was always a public statement. As we reported last night from people in his camp and people close to him, the words were largely written by Tiger Woods. That's not saying that they weren't shaped or refashioned in some sense by those who looked them over, but the message essentially came from Woods to a very select audience of 40.

Obviously, he didn't entertain any questions. And when that central camera went out, Campbell, we only saw that side angle, and we could see a number of people there in the room, some people who we are not going to be familiar with who was there, for example, Amy Reynolds, formally of Nike, who is now with Tiger Woods Design, of course, Woods' mother, Kathy Battaglia, his personal assistant, a couple of people who are with the ETW Corporation, and a couple of longtime friends, including fellow tour pro Notah Begay, all in the room with Woods, highly choreographed and controlled.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Let me stop you right there, just because we had those pictures up as you were talking. A lot of people were wondering what had happened.

And just for those who don't know, at a certain point during his press conference, one of the cameras went out, right? It broke? And that's why we ended up with that side angle, just to give people a little context?

RINALDI: That's correct. We lost that central feed.

And while for you and I, Campbell, and for the people who surround us and work in television production, it might seem like it's a little bit inside-the-beltway, to me, it was actually a significant moment.

I don't know what Jemele will say about this, but, as far as I'm concerned, Woods had played directly to the camera there, Campbell, several times in the first nine minutes of the speech. He lost that ability when he was talking directly to the nation and the world, and instead was only able to see -- be spoken to from that side-angle view. To me, that was fairly significant.

BROWN: Well, somebody got pretty chewed out, you would imagine, afterwards, when you know that every broadcast network, every cable television is taping this live, not to mention internationally, and the camera craps out in the middle of it.

But let me also ask you. Those three women just you had mentioned, they were very close to him. We saw at the end it his mother sitting there, he went over, he hugged his mother. The woman in the gray sweater was crying at the end of his statement also. Which one was she again? I can't -- I know you had mentioned...

RINALDI: Right.

Well, going farthest to nearest, if you will, to the left of Tiger Woods' mom was Amy Reynolds again with Tiger Woods Design, formerly with Nike, and Kathy Battaglia, a personal assistant, very close to Woods. And then there Chris Holman (ph) there and Rob McNamara and then Notah Begay. Tim Finchem was in the front row, Mark Steinberg.

There are people in the room who are very close to Woods and have been close to Woods for a very long time.

BROWN: These were his people, people he completely trusts. And they were invited there to kind of be his support system.

Let me get everybody's sort of take on this.

And, David, how are the sponsors reacting to this generally? Was it enough to sort of put this to rest and let's get on...

(CROSSTALK)

DAVID DUSEK, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": Well, put it to rest, no, but I think that the sponsors certainly are feeling as good or better than they were about Tiger Woods 24 or 48 hours ago.

Tiger has obviously come out. He looks fine physically. And, at this point, I think that just getting some type of something from Tiger, because we had absolutely zero from Tiger Woods personally in the last three months.

The fact that he came out and I think at least looked sincere -- I think that he was very authentic. I think that he looked scared at some point, frightened. How do you actually media-train to stand up in front of the world, your mom, and say that you basically just committed adultery multiple times?

I have no idea what that could possibly -- what could go through your head in the moments leading up to standing out at that dais by yourself in front of a curtain, in front of the world and admitting things like that. It's got to brutal.

BROWN: And, Jemele, the elephant in the room, sort of, was the fact that his wife was not there for this, wasn't it?

JEMELE HILL, ESPN: Yes. I mean, I think there is a lot that can be taken from that.

You know, her not being there, I think, actually kind of gave the story a little bit more credibility, if you will. We know that any rational person, if you're a woman in her position and you've read all these things for the last few months, of course, her being a sane woman, she would have some doubts about their marriage and about their future together.

And he alluded to that. And I thought that her not being there and him alluding to the fact that he did not know whether or not they would stay together was actually the most authentic part of his entire press conference.

BROWN: And I guess the big remaining question, though, he didn't answer -- well, for people like you, golf junkies. People like me, I'm done with Tiger, OK?

DUSEK: Sure. Yes.

BROWN: But is he going to be back out on the golf course?

DUSEK: No time soon. I mean, clearly, at the end, he mentioned that I'm not leaving out the possibility of coming back and playing golf this season.

And if you think about it, he said that he was in rehab at this facility for 45 days, that he's going back to tomorrow. And if you map out another 45 days into the process, that takes you basically to the Saturday of the weekend before the Masters at Augusta National, early April.

I didn't get any hint from what Tiger was telling us that he thinks that he's going to be coming back any time soon. I don't think he's given it really any thought. Maybe big picture, maybe I will be back for the end of the season.

But that's as specific right now as he's going to get.

BROWN: All right, guys, stand by for a minute. We're going to take a quick break. All of you are coming back with us after the break. And Roland Martin is going to join us as well, who has very strong opinions on this. We will be back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: When a celebrity is caught behaving badly, sorry seems to be the hardest word. From Hollywood to Washington, the rich and famous and powerful often do their best to dodge and delay. But when they finally do apologize, we are absolutely riveted. Take a look at some of the greatest hits.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, 42ND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Indeed I did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate. In fact, it was wrong.

KOBE BRYANT, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: I'm disgusted at myself for making a mistake of adultery.

GOV. ELIOT SPITZER (D), NEW YORK: I apologize first, and most importantly, to my family. I apologize to the public whom I promised better.

DAVID LETTERMAN, LATE NIGHT TV HOST: If you hurt a person and it's your responsibility, you try to fix it. Let me tell you, folks, I got my work cut out for me.

SEN. DAVID VITTER (D), LOUISIANA: I am completely responsible, and I'm so very, very sorry.

GOV. MARK SANFORD (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I hurt her. I hurt you all. I hurt my wife. I hurt my boys. And all I can say is that I apologize.

JIMMY SWAGGART, TELEVANGELIST: I have sinned against you, my Lord. Wash and cleanse every stain until it is in the seas of God's forgetfulness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So how does Tiger's day of contrition stack up? Not quite as dramatic as that I guess. But by the numbers, he mentioned his wife Elin 15 times, uttered by name or indirectly. He said the word "behavior" nine times. Used the words "apology" or "sorry" five times, used the words describing his infidelity four times, but he only used the word "golf" twice.

Back to you right now to talk a little more about this, David Dusek, Jemele Hill and Tom Rinaldi. And we also welcome CNN analyst Roland Martin, who's joining us now as well.

David, I just want to go back a little bit to a point that you were actually making with me during the break, talking a lot of questions were asked about why he didn't take questions --

DAVID DUSEK, SR. ED., SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S GOLF GROUP: Sure. BROWN: -- from reporters and why this wasn't more of a press conference. But you point out that you think, at least, this was sort of part of his therapy process, right?

DUSEK: Yes, I think this was part of a process that wasn't necessarily ever meant to be a Q&A session. And I was in Tucson, Arizona at the PGA Tour event there this weekend. This is the sheet that all of us were basically handed off. And nowhere on here does it say press conference or Q &A. It's actually very clear.

BROWN: You mean from Tiger's people telling you about today.

DUSEK: This is basically given out, exactly, by the PGA Tour. Exactly. This is what we are told. This is announcement as we in the press got it.

BROWN: Right,

DUSEK: And then I actually had a chance to see this videotape that we just saw several times, and it dawned on me that it this started sounding much more like a therapy session that we were sort of being privy into. We were brought into something that, really, you almost never have a chance to see if you're not unfortunately be affected by your family.

I contacted a friend of mine who unfortunately had to go through AA, and she immediately said, well, that's step nine. To which I then, of course, go up on and find out. Basically steps eight and nine of AA, you know, is 12 steps, number eight. Made a list of all the persons we have harmed and become willing to make amends for all of them. Step nine, made direct amends to such people whenever possible except when you do and injure them.

The camera was us.

BROWN: Right.

DUSEK: The fans, all the people who rooted for him and his family. That was all he ever intended to really do with us.

BROWN: Jemele, are you buying that?

JEMELE HILL, NATIONAL COLUMNIST, ESPN.COM: Not entirely, because those are things that he could have done very easily in private, and I'm sure that he has. I never agreed that he should have even done this to begin with. I don't think he owes anyone an apology other than his family, other than his wife, his children, maybe his mother and his business sponsors. So this whole idea that he had to do some media question and answer session, I thought, was preposterous, and I definitely think it's preposterous, the idea that he has to sit down and go through some lengthy interview with Oprah or Diane Sawyer because he has absolutely nothing to gain from that.

Tiger Woods is not the first athlete, public figure, whatever you want to call him, to cheat on their spouse. So I'm sort of a little bit surprised that this story has even gained as much momentum as it has being that we've seen this from presidents, senators, all sorts of politicians, religious leaders. So he's certainly not alone, and I think the fact that he didn't get out in front of this early on in the beginning is the reason why it's ballooned to the point that it has.

DUSEK: I would agree that he doesn't owe anybody anything other than his family. At one point when his children grow up a little bit, he's going to have to sit down with them and talk with them about that, Campbell. But I agree, I don't think that he owes the fans.

BROWN: I'm sorry -- he doesn't owe the fans anything? You don't get these multi-million-dollar sponsorships unless you have fans.

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: No, Campbell.

BROWN: Yes, go ahead, Roland.

MARTIN: You don't get multimillion dollar sponsorships unless you win golf tournaments. OK? Right now, David Duvall, he has fallen off the map when it comes to the golf rankings. He doesn't have the big sponsorships.

And let's just be honest --

BROWN: Yes, but Roland, I don't --

DUSEK: David Duvall (ph), he has no product right now. Tiger Woods does.

BROWN: Hang on. I would disagree with you a little bit, though, in terms of endorsement deals. They certainly love the fact that this was a guy that children looked up to, who was put on a pedestal. And you look at any sport, the people who get the most money in endorsement deals aren't just the best players --

MARTIN: Yes, they are.

BROWN: No, Roland, they're not. They're also the ones who are true role models that go beyond the sport.

MARTIN: OK.

DUSEK: They're the ones who have the farthest reach.

BROWN: Of course, they have a much greater reach.

DUSEK: Right.

BROWN: I don't think -- do you agree that that's accurate?

MARTIN: You could be a great -- you could be a great model all day, but if you suck when it comes to the sport, you're not going to get paid.

BROWN: I get that. We're giving you that point, Roland. It's not about that. I'm just saying, yes, the great players get big money but the great players who are also great role models get even bigger money, right?

DUSEK: No. I mean --

HILL: Campbell, you have to understand this. I don't think that anybody ever thought that Tiger Woods is this charismatic guy that you want to go out and have a beer with. People love him because --

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: No, they thought -- but they thought he was loyal to his wife --

DUSEK: Tiger Woods is a winner. He was a winner. If you associated your brand and your company with Tiger Woods --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly.

DUSEK: You associated with the pinnacle, not the gold standard, the platinum standard of excellence. That has what has come down at this point.

BROWN: The Michael Jordan --

DUSEK: Higher than that, higher. You are the absolute pinnacle of everything. Because basically his life was pristine. And now all of a sudden the day after Thanksgiving, that's gone. He probably will never achieve what he had. He will certainly, though, get sponsors to come back because when he does come back to golf, he will win. It's not a leg injury. It's not --

BROWN: And let me bring Tom into this. Tom, I'm sorry, I'm leaving you out. Let me get your take on this as well.

TOM RINALDI, ESPN REPORTER: Well, I've had an opportunity, Campbell, to sit down and talk one on one with Tiger Woods maybe half a dozen times. The last time I did it was in the clubhouse at Iowa (ph) last April. One of the things I asked him was as potentially the world's most recognizable athlete, if not one of the most recognizable people on the face of the planet, how well does the world really know you?

Essentially, he said, the world knows me well enough. Now the world knows him in a very different way. And I think this was the first step toward his attempt to try to redefine that image. I think that America forgives everything regarding athletes except failure on the field. And if he's able to succeed again, as most people expect he will, I think he'll be embraced again. We love a comeback.

BROWN: And when do you -- I know, we touched on this a little bit earlier, but when do you think you might see him back out there?

DUSEK: I would love to see him come back sooner rather than later. But based off of what we saw, unless there's some type of closure at home after he comes back from this -- he's leaving tomorrow. I'll be honest with you. I'd love to see him at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, the site of one of his greatest victories. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he doesn't come back at all in 2010.

BROWN: Wow. All right, guys. Appreciate it, everybody. To David, Jemele, Tom and Roland, of course, thank you, guys. Appreciate it.

This, as we said, has been all the talk in sports bars today, so we did send Richard Roth to the ESPN zone to see how Tiger's big apology is playing there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: OK, Tiger Woods tells the world he's sorry for what he called irresponsible and selfish behavior. So what are fans saying? Get over too much drama? Let's get back to golf and forget about it? Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, GOLFER: Many of you in this room are my friends. Many in this room know me.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Do you forgive him or do you think it will take time for that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I mean, I'm not here to judge him. I mean, he did what he did and he's owned up to it. Nobody supports what he did, you know, it's what he does from today on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He doesn't have to apologize to me. He has to apologize to his wife. He has to apologize to his sponsors.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It will never be the same for him, ever. And that's unfortunate.

ROTH: What do you think?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he did a great job. He was very impressive. I think he said exactly what he should have said.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's what I expected him to say: I'm sorry. Nothing more, nothing less and it was long overdue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I forgive him. I'm a mom and a wife, and I forgive him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tiger always wants to control everything. Let people in the room to ask questions, or let somebody be in the room who isn't your friend.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's his private life. I don't particularly see why he has to apologize. I'd just like to see him get back to golf.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: CNN's Richard Roth is at the ESPN zone in Times Square. And, Richard, what is it like down there tonight? Obviously, this is all the talk.

ROTH: Well, it's been 10 hours since I talked to those people and I'm still here. I don't even have a Yankee game to watch. It's all this Olympic stuff.

We have New Yorkers here, and they've been through a political sex scandal a few years ago. Maybe it's old hat for them.

Quinn (ph) is from Buffalo. What did you think of Tiger's multiple apologies?

QUINN, BUFFALO: I thought the whole thing was very contrived. I thought he came out more like a politician than he came out like an athlete. I thought he should have finished his therapy before he made this public statement. I really thought he should have get a little more time.

ROTH: He said he was sorry to the fans.

QUINN: Yes, I know he did but the whole thing -- I mean, his voice would go up when he was angry at the press and then his voice would go down when he was sorry. So it's just was very, very planned out.

ROTH: Let's move down the line. Shantee (ph) from the New York City area, what do you think?

SHANTEE (ph): I think he's a man. Above all, above anything else, he's a man. He's not just an athlete. People need to give him his privacy. I don't think he owed the public, the general public any kind of apology. He owes his wife an apology, and I think it's just that simple.

ROTH: Most of the women we talked to here, why is that? Almost every woman, no matter who they are, where they're from, they loved what they heard.

SHANTEE: I didn't particularly love what I heard. I mean, it was a little contrive if you agree with that. But again, he's a man, he's not a superhero. He wrote something down, which he felt like he needed to do because there's politics involved with that in corporations and so forth, but hey, he needs to speak to his wife and that's it.

ROTH: A friend of yours here is John. I heard you had some difference. What's the difference in how you looked at it?

JOHN: Well, I didn't have a problem with what he said, but he needs to go to the Kobe Bryant school of brand repair. OK? Because everything was staged whereas he should have had people in there asking him those questions that he's probably trying to avoid. That's the problem I have. I felt like, you know, he took so long. I mean, I kind of lost a little bit of respect for him, the fact that he's taken this long, to just pretty much just own up. And like she said, yes, he owes his wife an apology, but he also owes the sponsors an apology because I'm sure there are morality clauses in his contract. So that's how I feel about it. I mean --

SHANTEE: Well, when there's an apology, you don't need to answer any questions. You say sorry and you keep on moving. You don't need to explain anything in detail.

JOHN: Well, not maybe in detail. We don't have to get graphic, but there are questions still out there that, you know, the public wants to know, his sponsors would like to know. He needs to answer them. He needs to be accountable. That's all.

SHANTEE: I think what he did with all the past stories he gave people what they wanted. He spoke. It was a public forum. He felt what he needed to say. He said I'm sorry and people will move on.

ROTH: I'm sorry I started this argument. John and Shantee, thank you. Quinn from Buffalo, thank you very much. It's New York State. They and everyone else listened to Tiger Woods' 13 minutes and they'll be talking about it through the weekend here and everywhere it seems.

Campbell, back to you.

BROWN: All right. I would go back to actually John and Shantee because they were getting into it a little bit there. Richard, thank you very much. Are they married, by the way? No?

ROTH: No, they're not married. Let me check the hands for any rings there, but no.

BROWN: Richard Roth -- thank you, Richard. Go home now. You've been there long enough.

All right, we have some news to get to when we come back. Tonight, we do have new details we're going to talk to you about. The man who crashed his plane into the IRS building in Texas. His own wife thought he was crazy and watched as he burned their house to the ground. We have that part of the story when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Breaking news tonight. We have learned why that small, single-engine plane that crashed into an IRS office in Austin, Texas caused so much damage. There was a huge fire after the crash and several floors of the building were gutted. CNN's David Mattingly is in Austin for us right now. And, David, what have you learned tonight?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Campbell, a source close to the investigation is telling us that there were seats possibly missing from Joe Stack's private plane as he crashed into the IRS building. There is also a barrel of fuel missing from the airport where he took off. Now, they're looking into the possibility that he removed those seats to make room for that barrel of fuel, possibly to create a larger fireball as he crashed his plane into the IRS building. That's very disturbing to hear that, because if that proves to be true as the investigation goes on, if that proves to be true, that suggests that he not only intended to take his own life but as many innocent lives as possible.

BROWN: Wow, David. I know also that Joe Stack's wife Sheryl put out a statement today. Tell us about that as well.

MATTINGLY: She did. She released a statement that was read by a family friend, and it was done right out here in the neighborhood where her house down to the ground. The main message there was that her heart goes out to everyone who was affected by this. And as we continue to learn today that Joe Stack may have been the only one who knew what he was planning but those close to him knew that something was very wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY (voice-over): In the hours leading up to his crashing a private plane into the Austin offices of the IRS, those closest to Joe Stack knew he was losing control. The night before, his wife and her daughter sought refuge in a local hotel.

JACK COOK, WIFE'S STEPFATHER: The thing is that she had a bit of a problem with him evidently in the last few days. He has really boiled in his brain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

COOK: And she informed us that she thought he was crazy.

MATTINGLY: The stepfather of Stack's wife Sheryl confirms what the disturbed software engineer detailed in an on-line rant, that he blamed the IRS for personal financial problems.

COOK: Sheryl told us that he had been fairly well off at one time and lost everything. And the IRS hit him with a big bill.

MATTINGLY: And before anyone could imagine the insanity Joe Stack was plotting, Sheryl Stack and her daughter shared a horrifying front front-row seat to his violent rage.

(on camera): What was their reaction?

ELBERT HUTCHINS, NEIGHBOR: They were distraught.

MATTINGLY: Did they say anything?

HUTHINS: Normal kind of reaction. That's our house. You know, our house is on fire.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Neighbor Elbert Hutchins called 911 as Stack's wife stood helplessly Thursday morning finding her house in flames. Minutes later, her husband carried out his attack on the IRS. Now asking for privacy, Sheryl Stack let everyone know her thoughts are for his victims.

RAYFORD WALKER, FAMILY SPOKESMAN: Words cannot adequately express my sorrow or the sympathy I feel for everyone affected by this unimaginable tragedy.

MATTINGLY: A tragedy that could have easily been much worse. About 300 people were inside the building at the time of the attack with only one of them killed and two injured. First responders have difficulty expressing the depth of their relief.

ERNIE RODRIGUEZ, AUSTIN-TRAVIS COUNTY EMS: You look at the fire and you look at the evidence. It's hard to say that we were lucky, but we were.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: Truly lucky indeed, Campbell. Anyone who looks at that building wonders how that so few people got out of there with serious injury or being killed.

BROWN: So true. David Mattingly for us tonight. David, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

"LARRY KING LIVE" starts in just a few minutes. Larry, what do you have tonight?

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Campbell, lots more on Tiger Woods' incredible statement today. We'll talk about what he said, what he didn't say. We have some great guests, all kinds of observation. Nick Faldo is here, Jim Grey (ph), John Salley, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Howard Bragman (ph) and others.

Sex scandal in sports. Next on "LARRY KING LIVE" -- Campbell.

BROWN: All right, Larry. We'll see you in a few minutes.

Tonight, we are learning that the White House is getting set to unveil a new version of health care reform. The details coming up next in the "Download."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: More must-see news happening right now. Tom Foreman here with tonight's "Download." Hey, Tom.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Campbell. Just hours after President Obama talked health care at a town hall meeting in Nevada, there's word tonight the White House is finally ready to unveil its own version of the health care bill on Monday, in advance of the president's summit with both Democrats and Republicans. It is not expected to have a public option.

At today's town hall, the president said reform is vital, not just for the uninsured but for the economy overall. The Obama administration is going after big tobacco. The Justice Department is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to let the government collect $280 billion from the tobacco industry. A lower court threw out the award on a legal technicality.

Remember those anthrax attacks right after 9/11? The FBI today announced it has concluded its investigation into the 2001 anthrax mailings that killed five people. The bureau says a biodefense researcher carried out the attacks all alone and the suspect in the attacks committed suicide as federal agents were closing in on him.

And finally, if you have a dog, here's proof that your fuzzy friend can actually save your life. Searchers found this 3-year-old Arizona girl who've been missing for 16 hours cuddled up with her dog. The searchers say the little girl was able to stay warm with her dog at her side and that the pooch probably saved her life.

BROWN: My goodness. Yes, I'll say. Glad she's OK. Tom Foreman for us tonight. Tom, thanks very much.

We'll be right back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Join us all next week for a CNN special investigation called "Broken Government," from out of control deficit spending to Main Street getting the squeeze to lobbyists running our elected officials. We're going to have an in-depth look at what is fueling voter anger right now, and find out what has gone so wrong in Washington and what you can do to fix it. That's coming up all next week right here on CNN.

That's it for us. Have a great weekend.

"LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now.