Tiger Woods Told Deputies He Had Just Spoken With President Trump Before His Arrest

The footage, released Thursday, shows Woods in the aftermath of his March 27 crash on Jupiter Island, Florida, where authorities said his speeding Land Rover clipped the back of a truck and rolled onto its side on a residential road. No one was injured. In the video, Woods can be heard wrapping up a phone call and saying, “Thank you so much,” just before a deputy approached him. He then told the deputy, “I was just talking to the president.” The conversation itself was not captured on the recording, and it was not clear whether Woods was referring to President Donald Trump. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Trump had spoken with Woods after the crash.

Trump was later asked about Woods and said, “I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty. Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person. Amazing man. But some difficulty.” Woods’ ties to Trump have drawn attention in recent months because Vanessa Trump, the president’s former daughter-in-law, is dating Woods.

The bodycam video also shows the moment Woods was told he was being taken into custody. Martin County Sheriff’s Deputy Tatiana Levenar, after conducting a roadside sobriety test, told him, “I do believe your normal faculties are impaired and you’re under an unknown substance, so at this time, you’re under arrest for DUI.” Woods answered, “I’m being arrested?” and Levenar responded, “Yes, sir.”

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Authorities then searched Woods and found two white pills in his pocket. In the footage, Woods identified them by saying, “That’s a Norco,” referring to a painkiller containing acetaminophen and hydrocodone. Authorities later confirmed that Woods was in possession of hydrocodone. In a supplemental sheriff’s office report released Thursday, Woods also said after being brought into the “DUI room,” “I’m not drunk. I’m on a prescription medication.”

According to the report and video, Woods told deputies he had not consumed alcohol and had taken a few medications earlier in the day, though portions of his explanation were muted in the released footage. Authorities said Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test, which showed no signs of alcohol, but refused a urine test. Under a change to Florida law last year, refusing an officer’s request to take a breath, blood or urine test is a misdemeanor, even for a first offense.

Woods also described what led to the crash. As he knelt on a lawn before his arrest, he told an officer, “I looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden — boom.” Deputies said he had been looking at his phone and changing the radio station when the crash happened. Separate footage taken from the back seat of the patrol car shows Woods handcuffed during the ride, hiccuping, yawning and repeatedly appearing to nod off over roughly 15 minutes.

The video and reports also documented Woods’ physical condition. Deputies noted that he was limping and wearing a compression sock over his right knee during field sobriety testing. Woods explained that he had undergone seven back surgeries and more than 20 surgeries on his right leg, and that his ankle seizes while he walks. The arrest report said he was hiccuping during questioning and repeatedly moved his head during one of the sobriety tests, forcing deputies to tell him several times to keep it straight. Levenar wrote, “Based on my observations of Woods, how he performed the exercises and based on my training, knowledge, and experience, I believed that Woods normal faculties were impaired, and he was unable to safely operate the motor vehicle.”

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The footage also captured Woods’ longtime manager and close friend, Rob McNamara, arriving at the scene along with a member of Woods’ security team. When an officer asked Woods if there was anything he needed from the SUV, Woods replied, “My sticks.” An officer responded, “They’re worth more than my house.” McNamara then joked, “Right, the putter is worth more than all of our houses,” before Woods explained that he had used the putter to win 14 majors. When asked whether he planned to play in the Masters, Woods said, “I’m hoping to.”

That will not happen now. Woods, 50, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to driving under the influence and later said he was stepping away indefinitely “to seek treatment and focus on my health.” On Thursday, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office also added a careless driving charge, which is a moving violation under Florida law, and Woods was fined $163. He was arrested after the crash and released on bail eight hours later.

The bodycam footage did not change the broad outline of the case, but it gave the clearest public look yet at Woods’ reaction as the situation moved from a roadside crash investigation into an arrest, while adding fresh questions about the phone call he said he had just finished before deputies walked up.

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