Tiger Woods 'seeking treatment' after latest crash and DUI arrest, hoping to stay out of jail

Tiger Woods mug shot.

Golf legend Tiger Woods has broken his silence following a rollover crash and arrest for DUI near his home in Jupiter, Florida, on Friday, saying he's "stepping away" to "seek treatment and focus on my health." Woods won't be playing in The Masters tournament starting in less than two weeks -- an event he'd been attempting to qualify for. Meanwhile, President Trump has weighed in saying, Woods is "a great champion" and that "he'll be fine."

Woods, a five-time winner of The Masters, made his first public comments on the incident in a post to his X account late Tuesday. According to Page Six, the golfing legend is entering treatment in a bid to avoid jail time, which one legal expert said was a possibility. 

Woods, 50, was arrested after rolling his Land Rover on Friday afternoon. Police who arrived on the scene described him as "sweating profusely" and "lethargic and slow." They also said his eyes were "bloodshot and glassy," his pupils were "extremely dilated" and he had a case of the hiccups. According to police, he failed a series of sobriety tests, ABC News reported.

Cops said they found two hydrocodone pills, used to treat chronic pain, in Woods' pants pocket. "While that is not a good thing, I don’t see any judge wanting to send him to jail, particularly because no one else was hurt in the accident and he’s already seeking treatment,” legal expert Gregory Doll told Page Six. However, Doll said, Woods DUI in 2017 will be considered an "aggravating" factor that could compel a judge to slap him with jail time.

Woods pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and hired the same lawyer who represented him during the 2017 DUI. Woods is dating Vanessa Trump, Donald Trump Jr's ex-wife, and the mother of several of the president's grandchildren. President Trump told The New York Post that he's spoken with Woods since the incident and said, “I think he’s doing great, he’s doing good.”

Tiger Woods and Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

In 2019, Trump awarded Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in February, 2025, Woods visited Trump in the Oval Office.

Trump added, “He lives a life of pain. He has a lot of pain. He’s an amazing guy. He’s an amazing athlete. He does have pain.” On Wednesday, Trump told Reuters "it's a good thing" that Woods is heading into treatment. "He's a great ​champion ... he'll be fine," the president said.

Woods alluded to his health issues in the statement he posted on social media. “I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,” Woods wrote in his statement. “I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.”