Tiger Woods Apologizes For Tampon Prank

BYGabriel Bras Nevares2.0K Views
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Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images

The star golfer had slipped fellow competitor Justin Thomas a tampon during the Genesis Invitational on Thursday.

Tiger Woods recently apologized for a tampon prank on Justin Thomas on Thursday (February 16) during the Genesis Invitational. Moreover, the golf billionaire slipped Thomas a tampon into his hand when the latter failed to outdrive him. While Woods said that it was all in good fun, he expressed that he didn't realize how others might take offense. He explained to reporters that “it was supposed to be all fun and games and obviously it hasn’t turned out that way. If I offended anybody, it was not the case, it was just friends having fun.” 

PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 17: Tiger Woods of the United States speaks during a press conference during the second round of the The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on February 17, 2023 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

Furthermore, many took issue with the 47-year-old's prank, calling it juvenile and potentially disrespectful. After all, many could interpret this as Woods establishing his manhood over Thomas or insinuating some gendered bias. However, both laughed at the prank, and many online believe Tiger has no reason to apologize. "Luv yew @TigerWoods," one user wrote on Twitter. "Everyone offended stinks. There’s no way real people were offended. Only fake Twitter offended." On the other hand, others expressed confusion over why this specific instance shook people. Of course, people draw their own personal lines, but even socially progressive folks raised their eyebrows a bit.

Still, plenty of people voiced reasonable criticism of the prank and brought up Tiger's relationship history. "Sports commentators laughing, and the fact that Tiger Woods had the tampon in his pocket, ready for the right moment to disrespect women, again," one tweeter expressed. "Yeah, I guess Tiger might want to get a refresher on all that therapy he had after his first wife discovered what his other hobby was." Another wrote, "Tiger Woods handing a tampon as a form of trash talk between friends on or off tv was offensive and he should have apologized. If you’re wondering 'WhO wAs OfFeNdEd' it’s me. We can talk about it too."

Overall, it's another case of both opinions clashing strongly, quickly, and antagonistically on social media. For what it's worth, Woods actually seemed quite choked up during his apology. Whether you took offense to his act or not, there's nothing useful to do about it. Instead, just go about your day and keep that Twitter rant in the drafts. Regardless, stay tuned to HNHH for more viral debates and the latest on Tiger Woods.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.