CNN Anchor Apologizes For Comments About Tiger Woods' Accident After Backlash

Andy Scholes CNN

The world at large got quite a shock on February 23 when it was announced that Tiger Woods was involved in a serious car accident that required hospitalization. Woods' celebrity and past drama in the tabloids resulted in a lot of curiosity about what led to the incident, and now one CNN anchor has apologized for some remarks he made on air about Tiger Woods.

CNN's Andy Scholes was on-air to comment about the accident, and may have been a little too quick to speculate about the cause of Tiger Woods' car accident. Now the anchor has apologized online after some viewers reached out on social media thinking his comments were in bad taste.

See more

Andy Scholes repeated his apology in replies to several other tweets, all of which were critical of the way the anchor handled the situation on CNN. Scholes is a sports reporter for CNN, so he was welcomed on for the news about Tiger Woods when the network covered the accident. Scholes was asked his opinion on the situation as viewers saw a live shot of the wreckage and gave the following comments on camera.

Stunned, I guess, but not entirely surprised by what we're seeing here. You know, Tiger back in 2017 was found by police pulled over on the side of the road. You know, asleep in his car. He had said he had taken a lot of painkillers at that time because we all know Tiger's undergone a lot of surgeries over the years, and painkillers have become a part of his life.

While details were not readily available at the time when Tiger Woods was first taken from the hospital, reports from the Los Angeles County Sheriff (via CNN) have stated that they do not anticipate any charges being filed and that they believe the whole incident was just an accident with no cause for suspicion. Although there is truth in what Andy Scholes said in regards to Tiger Woods' past issues with addiction, many felt it was irresponsible to suggest drugs were a factor in a car accident which has since been cleared of anything like that.

Suggesting Tiger Woods was again suffering from painkiller addiction as the pro golfer was in the hospital can certainly be seen as insensitive, especially from a news perspective presenting commentary that assumes past addiction played a factor. Woods is currently awake and responsive following surgery at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center but has not publicly commented since the accident beyond a press release from his representatives.

CinemaBlend will continue to monitor the situation happening with Tiger Woods, as well as other major headlines breaking in television and movie news. For more on the athlete, be sure to read up on what to know about the golfing legend ahead of watching his documentary on HBO Max.

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.