Tiger Woods is facing DUI charges for the second time since 2017 following a car crash in Florida on Friday, March 27, but one lawyer from the state does not believe that those charges are ultimately going to stick.
Ryan Young of Yahoo Sports reported South Florida defense attorney Robert Reiff’s take on the situation Friday night.
“Seems like they have no case, no DUI case [against Woods],” Reiff told Young. “Period, full stop.”
Reiff specializes in DUI cases in the Miami area.
Police Arrested Tiger Woods on Suspicion of DUI, Still Have to Prove Those Charges
GettyProfessional golfer Tiger Woods.
Martin County police arrested Woods on suspicion of DUI following an incident in which he tried to pass a truck near his home in Jupiter, Florida, clipped the back of that vehicle and flipped his own vehicle onto its side.
Woods was not hurt, and police indicated that he willingly submitted to a breathalyzer, which confirmed that Woods had not been drinking. However, Woods refused a urine test and showed “signs of impairment,” according to Martin County police chief John Budensiek.
Police subsequently booked Woods on misdemeanor charges of DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test, and then reported they would hold Woods in jail for at least eight hours.
“Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment,” Budensiek said, per The Athletic. “They did several tests on him. He did explain the injuries and surgeries he had. We did take that into account. But they did do some in-depth roadside tests, and when it was determined he was taken under arrest and taken to the Martin County Jail.”
Reiff said Woods’ refusal to submit to a urinalysis test and the officers’ educated, yet inevitably subjective, observations of intoxication are not enough to prove in a court of law that Woods was impaired at the time of the crash.
“There’s certainly more to this story, and we need to find out [more],” Reiff added in his interview with Young. “But I’ll certainly tell you from what I’ve been hearing … it sure doesn’t seem like they have proof — at least not of the DUI.”
Tiger Woods’ Status for Masters Tournament Remains Uncertain After Crash, Arrest
GettyProfessional golfer Tiger Woods has not publicly announced his intentions to play in, or sit out, the 2026 Masters Tournament in April.
Florida police arrested Woods for DUI after a traffic stop in 2017. He ultimately blamed that incident on prescribed pain medication he was taking to deal with past injuries and surgeries, which he said had an unexpected effect on him.
Woods was also involved in a single-vehicle crash south of Los Angeles in 2021, during which he sustained multiple broken bones in his leg and ankle.
A 15-time major winner on the PGA Tour and arguably the best player in golf history, Woods’ participation in the Masters was uncertain before the incident. This year’s edition of that tournament begins on April 9.
It is unclear whether Woods’ crash on Friday will impact his decision to play in the Masters Tournament, which he has won five times, including most recently in 2019.
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