Tiger Woods accepts a five-year driving ban after pleading guilty to reckless driving in his Florida DUI case.
Tiger Woods walked into a Florida courtroom Wednesday morning and made a decision that closes one chapter of his legal troubles.
The 50-year-old golf legend accepted a plea deal that strips him of his driving privileges for five years, marking the end of his battle against DUI charges stemming from a March rollover crash near his Jupiter Island home.
Instead of fighting the original misdemeanor charges, Woods agreed to plead guilty to reckless driving and refusal to submit to a lawful test, both of which carry a five-year driving ban running concurrently.
The judge did not mince words during the brief hearing at Martin County Courthouse in Stuart.
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“If you drive for any reason at all, you will be going back to jail,” the judge warned with unmistakable seriousness.
Woods faced $1,000 in fines for the first charge and $500 for the second, a relatively light financial penalty compared to the potential consequences of a full trial.
His attorney Douglas Duncan stood beside him throughout the proceedings, while his girlfriend Vanessa Trump offered quiet support from the courtroom.
The March 27 incident that triggered all of this began when Woods’ Land Rover clipped a truck carrying a pressure-washer trailer, causing the truck to flip onto its side.
At the scene, deputies found two loose hydrocodone pills on his person and noted signs of impairment, including bloodshot eyes and slow movement.
Woods admitted to taking prescription medications earlier that day but denied consuming alcohol, a claim backed up by breathalyzer results.
He told officers he had been distracted by his cellphone and radio before realizing the vehicle ahead had slowed to turn into a driveway.
This is not Woods’ first brush with DUI charges.
Back in 2017, he faced similar allegations after a 3 A.M. arrest involving prescription drugs rather than alcohol.
That case ended with him pleading guilty to reckless driving and entering a diversion program, with prosecutors dropping the DUI charge.
Woods spent nearly three months in a Switzerland rehab facility following his March arrest, taking a brief break to support Trump during her breast cancer battle.
The crash marked the fourth significant car-related incident in Woods’ career, adding to a troubling pattern that extends beyond the golf course.
