I also slept with Tiger Woods. So when do I get paid to tell my story?

By Russell Brooks

“I’m a former Canadian Track and Field team member, specializing in the 100 and 200 meter sprints as well as the 4x100 meter relay. I too slept with Tiger Woods. And yes, I’m a guy. The picture to the right is of me when he used to come see me for a lap dance.”

This statement, if it were true, would definitely create a media firestorm had it been published. Let’s face it. We all love gossip. Never mind that a lot of celebrity gossip damages reputations, ruins lives, and destroys families. This is why it does not surprise me to read about several women who are suddenly coming out of the woodwork claiming to have been Tiger Woods’s mistress. One should ask why is it that they’re coming out now? Why didn’t any of them come out before? Cocktail waitress, Jamie Grubbs, went as far as accepting an interview on the TV show, Extra, in order to express remorse for what she put Woods’s wife through. Rubbish! Whatever happened to a phone call, or email? Why was it so important that she go on a nationally syndicated television program to say that she had an affair with Tiger Woods? Grubbs’s case as well as all of the other women that came out (with more expecting to come) obviously illustrate their selfish desires to promote themselves at the expense of a well-known celebrity.

People that are otherwise unknown in media circles before celebrity scandals erupt, thus allowing them to profit from it, is nothing new. Take for instance, Ashley Dupre aka Elliot Spitzer’s call girl. Teeth gnashed across New York State in February 2008 when its residents learned how Governor Elliot Spitzer was spending their tax dollars. For those who are reading about Elliot Spitzer for the first time, allow me to summarize what he did that got him into hot water. Briefly put, Elliot Spitzer, Ashley swallowed; FBI agents catch them and get a free porn show at the same time; Spitzer loses job; Ashley’s music career (among other things) gets a huge thrust; The end.

One should appreciate that most celebrities, from famous actors to athletes, got to where they are today from using their talents, their intelligence, and their perseverance. That is exactly how Tiger Woods got to be the world’s greatest golfer and a household name. Yours truly dreams of being the next James Patterson, Barry Eisler, or Ian Fleming. Although self-promotion is an arduous task, I would definitely not choose to profit by bringing down a well-respected celebrity. Many celebrities have messed up at least once in their careers. Bill Clinton, John F Kennedy, and David Letterman—to name a few—have made serious blunders in their careers. Do most of us only think about their blunders whenever we read about them, or do we admire them for what they've done? Hopefully when Tiger Woods’s current problems blow over, he will still be remembered as a famous golfer. As for all of the so-called mistresses that believe that they have something to gain from selling their stories—knowing that it will damage Woods’s reputation, hopefully people will be smart enough to see through them and ignore them. As for Ashley Dupre, whether she wants to call herself a talented musician, or television personality, she will always be high-price prostitute to me.

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