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Tiger Woods Suffered Multiple Leg Injuries, Now in Surgery Following the Accident. Aired 3:30-4p ET.

Aired February 23, 2021 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: We are back with the breaking news this afternoon. Pictures of the aftermath of Tiger Woods' car crash this morning in Los Angeles. He is currently in surgery. According to his agent he suffered multiple injuries to his legs.

He was the only person in this car. In surgery at UCLA Harbor Med Center, and obviously the prayers, the thoughts, they are pouring in for this legend, this -- this golf star, this -- this, you know, superhuman, this father of two.

[15:35:00]

I now have with me Brian Katrek, he's the anchor of the PGA Tour Network on Sirius XM. And Brian, I know you've done play-by-play of, you know, all these major tournaments of Tiger Woods. I was just -- I'm going to come back to that. But I was just reading.

So two days ago on Sunday Tiger Woods told CBS he was hopeful he could be fit enough to go to the Masters which is upcoming in April, said he couldn't guarantee his involvement. Here's the quote. He said, god I hope so, I've got to get there first. This is the only back I've got so I don't know how much more wiggle room is left in there.

He's talking about his back. He just had his fifth back surgery last month, but, you know, to hear him hopeful of returning to Augusta in just a couple of weeks, what does that say to you?

BRIAN KATREK, ANCHOR, PGA TOUR NETWORK: Well, Brooke, it's great to be on with you. Sorry it's under these circumstances. However, you know, he's very optimistic. It doesn't come across all the time because he's an ultimate grinder out there on the golf course, and you can see the game face, but I've had the great pleasure of chatting with him plenty of times when -- when the cameras weren't on.

And, you know, he's told -- he's told us all he doesn't like having these surgeries. He's had multiple knee surgeries, multiple back surgeries. He told us a couple years ago he was done having surgeries, but then went ahead and had a couple of more because he's a competitor. So that's what he was saying on the CBS broadcast was, you know, Jim Nantz was just expecting that Tiger would be at Augusta. We all kind of expect that, and Tiger was trying to keep things in order.

He's very much a process guy, Brooke, so he didn't want to -- he didn't want to get ahead of himself, and what he had on his radar at the time was an MRI coming up here in a couple of weeks to check on the progress of that back surgery and obviously, you know, the timeline is interrupted

BALDWIN: You know, I was talking to another sports reporter who said to me, Brooke, you know, he may be 45, but his body is that of a 75- year-old. Would you say that that would be about right?

KATREK: You know, I think he's younger than that, but yes. You know, he's been beat up. He's put it through -- golf is an asymmetrical exercise, and it can be really rough on certain parts and not rough on the others, and you don't get the traditional injuries that you get in other sports. They are not generally from impact, you know. You didn't get hit by the linebacker and break something. It's -- it's wear and tear over time, but because -- and how you get to his level is you keep working at it, and it has to be, you know, all the repetitions. And so if you've got wear injuries early, they don't get better late, you know.

That's maybe the only good news in this is that most likely whatever happened in this car accident is not likely to have injured something old, you know. This is going -- this is going to be all new stuff.

BALDWIN: Yes.

KATREK: And, again, anything else we're just making stuff up. I'm worried about his tender back more than I am anything else at this point in time.

BALDWIN: His tender back fresh off his fifth back surgery. Now we're hearing what? His legs according to his agent. Multiple leg injuries. He's in surgery. I imagine he's being treated by the best of the best but still, you know, he -- with all of that in his history, just the physical challenges. And then also, Brian, can you just speak to -- you know, we think of him as this rock star, you know, on the golf course, but he's had his ups and downs.

And, you know, as I was saying earlier America loves a good comeback story. Obviously, the comeback being the green jacket in Augusta in 2019 but just remind us. Because we all remember that dashcam video and the DUI photo from what was that 2017?

KATREK: That sounds about right, Yes. So, you know, that's been -- it was an overdose of a bunch -- a bunch of mixed medicines, and, you know, the one thing that I remember him saying emphatically at the time and the blood-alcohol level tests proved it was there was no alcohol involved. And he kept saying that and you're looking at the video and you're looking at the incident and we're all wondering, well how can you confidently say that? Well, that was the case.

But, you know, here's the guy that's in between surgeries again, and, you know, you're trying to balance medications. You're trying to balance a comeback, and obviously it's a delicate balance.

BALDWIN: And he was just playing in the father-son tournament, right, in the last couple of months with his 11-year-old boy?

KATREK: He was, and it was some of the best television we've seen in the golf world in a long time, Brooke. Little Charlie was just adorable. Has a great golf swing, and, you know, you're seeing the greatest of all time and then you're seeing him really grind with his son and yet -- yet playing the father role also. It was -- you know, on the heels of that 2019 Masters win, it -- it was a whole lot of folks that saw a softer side of Tiger for the first time and absolutely fell in love with what they watched.

BALDWIN: Brian, how lucky are you to have covered him in all these tournaments all through the years to witness history in person. Extraordinary, and thank you so much for hopping on the phone with me just to talk through what is a sad day as we're all sitting here holding hour collective breath and hoping for a swift recovery for Tiger Woods.

[15:40:03]

Thank you so much, Brian.

I want to go to Los Angeles now to my colleague, our correspondent Kyung Lah. Kyung, do you have anything new, anything new beyond the fact that we know he's in surgery and has leg injuries?

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What we're just getting is a statement from the PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan. I'm going to read this statement to you that we got just a few minutes ago. The statement reads.

We have been made aware of Tiger Woods' car accident today. We are awaiting further information when he comes out of surgery. On behalf of the PGA Tour and all our players, Tiger is in our prayers and will have our full support as he recovers.

So not very much to this, although the statement, depending on when it was written. You know, we're getting this now, but we don't know when the statement was written.

BALDWIN: Yes.

LAH: It does suggest that he's still in surgery. We're not getting very much information at this stage, you know, just like you. We're trying to piece it all together other than learning that this accident happened at 7:00 in the morning and that he is in the hospital.

The closest level one trauma hospital is UCLA Harbor View. It's a hospital that a lot of reporters are familiar with, a lot of people who live in this area are very familiar with. And you know, in an accident like this, that's certainly where he would go. So there are very good doctors who are working there, and certainly when it comes to taking care of an athlete of this caliber, they are going to take a lot of care, but these pictures, Brooke, you know. BALDWIN: Awful.

LAH: As someone who has -- I've driven in this area. You know, these are -- the roads are wide open. They are pretty clear. We don't know what the weather was like at that time of the morning. It is along the coast, and normally during this time, you know, and I don't know, so, again, let's say, we don't know what the weather was like because it tends to a little bit more damp along the coast and it tends to be a bit more foggy.

We have to hear from the authorities on what exactly the weather and road conditions were like.

BALDWIN: Right.

LAH: But, you know, these pictures are certainly --

BALDWIN: It's gut-wrenching.

LAH: -- very, very alarming.

BALDWIN: It's gut-wrenching. And we obviously sit here and we wish him well and we're thinking about his family and his two children who are obviously are just -- it's just awful. Kyung, thank you so much. As soon as you get anything else, just hop on and let me know.

In the meantime, quick break. We're going to work on getting more information for you in the wake of this horrendous car crash involving Tiger Woods. We'll be right back.

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[15:45:00]

BALDWIN: Welcome back to the breaking news this afternoon. These are the images splashed across the screen that tell a -- a -- a just a gut-wrenching story of what has happened to Tiger Woods. Investigators now on the scene as he was involved. He was alone in this car this morning, right around 7:20 PST rolling along close to the coastline there in Los Angeles.

Somehow, we don't know a lot. Let me just be real with you. Somehow flipped over, car rolls over. Ends up having to get pulled out of the car by the emergency officials using the jaws of life. They take them to the newest trauma level one hospital which is UCLA Harbor View. We now know he's in surgery. According to his agent he's suffered multiple leg injuries, and as you can imagine thoughts, prayers, everything pouring in from not just obviously his friends, fans, everywhere around the world.

He's a legend and was hoping to play in the Masters down in Augusta, Georgia, in April.

With me now CNN's sports anchor is Don Riddell who has covered Tiger Woods for CNN international. He's the host of "Living Golf" and Alex Thomas who has covered many, many of Tiger Woods' majors as well for CNN "WORLD SPORT." But Don, let me start with you. Because I've had a number of people on this last hour and they mentioned this recent HBO documentary that really tells the story of Tiger Woods and his relationship with his father. Tell me about that.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, I mean, that really, Brooke, is the key to understanding the entire story of Tiger Woods, and it was really put into very sharp perspective by this two-part documentary which is an absolutely compelling watch. And it just shapes his childhood.

You know, we all knew that Tiger Woods was a child star. He was on a television show at the age of 2 with that cute little golf bag and those tiny little clubs. But he was being shaped and molded and grown and developed from a very, very, very early age, and he was a breakout star, and he went to college. He was a mega star in college and then, of course, he burst on to the scene on the PGA tour and started winning majors almost immediately.

But the relationship that he had with his father really shaped so many aspects of his life, and that's revealed in this documentary. He is famous for making some not great decisions in his life, some decisions that have led him down some fairly dark paths and have had some fairly damaging and significant consequences for him, and a lot of that ties back into his father which is why I think when we saw Tiger play so publicly with his own son Charlie just a few months ago --

BALDWIN: In December.

RIDDELL: Yes, but it seemed as though the narrative arc had been completed. But we were now seeing a new Tiger Woods. We were seeing a man who was caring for his own son who wasn't afraid for his son to be in the limelight, but he was very carefully guarding and shielding him.

Charlie wasn't doing any interviews. No press conferences. There were no microphones under Charlie's nose, and that was so very different to Tiger's own experience when he was growing up. So it seemed as though that he had learned from that.

[15:50:00]

You know, one of the reasons we were all so excited by Tiger's comeback at the Masters a couple of years ago was, one, he was just this extraordinary comeback from all the hardships he'd gone through, of course, many of them self-inflicted. The marital situation and the break-up that's been so well chronicled. But of course, his injures and all the surgeries and to see him come back from that was incredible.

But I think one of the reasons people were excited was because we knew this might not happen again or we knew the chances of this happening again were getting slimmer and slimmer. He's aging, he's older, he's had all these surgeries, he's had another surgery on his back, as we've just been discussing. And so we weren't going to see many moments like this again. Of course, there's always excitement with Tiger walks up at Augusta,

where he's now won five times. If you saw the interview with Jim Nantz on CBS the other day, I know he said he was hoping to, god I hope so.

But if looked into his eyes, you could tell he wasn't sure. Jim Nantz pushed him, and said, well, what's the plan? I assume you're going to play a warm-up event before the Masters and he said I don't know. There is no plan. I just don't know.

And now here we are, and the narrative has completely shifted again and in a really frightening and worrying away. Justin Thomas, one of his colleagues on the tour, a man who lives nearby to him in Florida, very good friends, he said today that he's just sick to his stomach seeing the car wreck and not knowing what these injuries are.

They're described as moderate to critical. We're hearing multiple leg complications as a result of this. It really is sickening, isn't it? He is so loved, and so adored and revered and celebrated.

And who knows how much longer the golf story was going to continue as a player at this level. I will just add one thing in, Brooke. I asked Tiger a couple of years ago how he thought he would be regarded if he was able to come back and win the Masters again.

And I said would this be the greatest comeback of all time? And he said, well, I think the greatest comeback of all time is Ben Hogan, another golf legend, who was involved in a very, very serious road accident back I think in the '40s when his car hit a bus, and he had to learn how to walk again. And he was able to come back from that and perform at the highest level and achieve everything that he did.

And Tiger was just so moved by that and inspired by that and motivated by that. And we talk about narrative arcs and story lines and now here we have Tiger Woods potentially in a very, very similar situation himself.

BALDWIN: Almost eerie, just goosebump inducing, hearing him admiring him having come back and learn to walk again. And here we are, sitting on live television, sort of hanging in this abyss of not knowing anything more than the fact that he's in surgery and he's had injuries to his legs and that's it.

Wishing him and, you know, his family well in such a difficult time. Don thank you so much and Alex I've got to take quick commercial break again, trying to get you some new information at this moment.

This is just how breaking news works. Let's just hope these doctors are working on him I'm sure as best as they possibly can. Tiger Woods involved in a very serious accident, pulled out of the car using jaws of life there in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:55:00] BALDWIN: Welcome back to the breaking news here. Tiger Woods in surgery after suffering this awful car crash this morning in Rancho Palos Verdes, this is southern California. Alex Thomas is on with me. Alex has covered many of Tiger Woods' majors for CNN WORLD SPORT.

You know, so interesting listening to our colleague Don Riddell, just talking about the arc of Tiger Woods, the relationship with his father and now Tiger's relationship with his 11-year-old son, Charlie.

And Don echoed something that I've heard from a number of guests. Which is that it seems in recent years Tiger Woods has changed. Have you noticed that? And what do you think -- just what was the catalyst for this change?

ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: It's been hugely noticeable. And the catalyst was that he was facing the end of his astonishing career. You know, from the late 1990s to the mid to late 2000s, Tiger Woods was as great an athlete in any sport as we've ever seen, almost unbeatable, went seven years without even missing the halfway cut in any tournament.

And then suddenly after a series of back injuries coming so soon after disgrace in his personal life that he had to very publicly front up to, he was facing the end of his career not being able to win tournaments, because his body simply wasn't capable of it anymore. And then suddenly this amazing turnaround, you know, winning the tour championship at the end of one season, going on to win the 2019 Masters a full eleven years after winning the last of his majors before that in 2008, standing on15 major titles of all time.

And his competitors said, you know, we suddenly saw this new, relaxed, chilled Tiger. He had such an amazing game face when he was at his pomp that he just scared opponents into defeat almost before hit a ball off the first tee in the final round of tournaments.

And now a chatty Tiger, still maybe not as open with the media for obvious reasons but certainly behind the scenes. All this new talented generation of young pros coming through in the men's game have all sort of seen him as almost a second father figure, open, and friendly, ready with advice. And that's a mentor, that as well as competed them.

BALDWIN: Alex, thank you. We're actually now hearing from a friend of Tiger Woods. This is a golfer Justin Thomas. He's just responded to the news of his friend being in this car accident. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN THOMAS, FRIEND OF TIGER WOODS: It hurts to see one of your -- now one of my closest friends, you know, get in an accident and, man, I just hope he's all right. Just - is worried for his kids, I'm sure they'll struggle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Father of two. Thanks so much for being with me. Jake Tapper taking over the breaking coverage. The Lead starts now. END