New details emerged from the arrest report after Tiger Woods’ rollover crash Friday near his Jupiter Island home in Florida. Woods, who has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence, told deputies he was looking at his phone and changing the radio and did not see a truck slowing down ahead before clipping a trailer and flipping his SUV onto its side.
The report says deputies found two white pills in Woods’ pocket that were later identified as hydrocodone, a powerful painkiller. Woods told investigators he takes a few prescription medications and had taken them earlier that morning; the report did not make clear whether hydrocodone was among those medications.
Officers described Woods as “sweating profusely,” with bloodshot eyes and pupils that were “extremely dilated.” They noted his movements were lethargic and slow. The arrest report also details that Woods had participated in an indoor golf tournament three days before the crash.
The crash adds to the five-time Masters champion’s history of serious vehicle incidents; a 2021 crash outside Los Angeles that saw Woods’ SUV roll over nearly cost him his leg. Underlines from the report and commentary make clear the legal process will focus on events around the March crash alone: if the case goes to trial, Woods’ prior DUI and earlier accidents would not come into evidence.
Former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, who prosecuted Woods’ 2017 DUI case, appeared on the CBS Evening News to note the scrutiny the athlete faces. Aronberg and other commentators raised questions about why Woods was driving given his medical history and prior incidents. The report also says Woods refused a urine test at law enforcement’s request after the crash. Florida law passed late last year makes refusing that test a misdemeanor, and refusal could lead to a license suspension for at least a year.
Woods’ defense remains that he did not see the truck slowing in front of him. The investigation and any ensuing prosecution will examine the newly released report’s observations — including the pills found, his physical state at the scene, and his statements about using prescription medications earlier that day — as the case moves forward.