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Supporting Tiger [04-09-10 - 8:45pm EST]

So while the reactions from the crowds at Augusta would point to massive support for Tiger Woods, the reality is there are still mixed emotions about him. The simple fact of the matter is Tiger Woods is the best golfer on the planet, and even after a 144 day layoff he is only two shots back of the lead, not to mention much more fan-friendly. However, nobody was really concerned that his game would be diminished. Rusty, sure, but not gone. It's him as a person that everyone is concerned about.

It must be easy to write off Woods' "sex addiction" as an excuse to sleep around, but that's easy for us to say. We're not on the top of the mountain, basically by ourselves up there. There's alot of pressure to be the face of an entire sport, not to mention a global icon, so when he lost his father in 2006, it seems like he lost all direction and began the downward spiral.

Everyone likes to imagine what it would be like being rich and being able to do whatever we want, but Woods actually had that. He became one of the most influencial people in not only America, but world-wide. His face was plastered everywhere, from Gilette, Nike, and even his own line of Gatorade products. So couple that feeling of invincibility with the loss of his direction in life and you can see exactly why he did what he did.

In no way am I condoning it, and if Elin Woods had wanted a divorce, I would have supported that choice. Even if she changed her mind and wanted a divorce later on, she has that right and nobody should question it.

Nike's new Tiger Woods ad is causing quite the controversy. Watch "Earl and Tiger" on YouTube

Maybe Woods could have done something differently. Maybe he could have said something, gone to therapy, taken a break from golf before this mess started. Whatever he could have done, he didn't, but now he has the chance to redeem himself. He has never been a terrible human being, quite the contrary; more people were shocked that Tiger Woods, the perfect role model, had done this kind of thing. This just reinforces that old adage; we're all human, we are all prone to mistakes, though some may be much larger than others.

Nobody is in the position to judge Woods, though. Nobody has been put on a pedastool that high and large. Many have been expected to be the perfect athlete, sure. Some have been expected to be a perfect person. Very, very few have been expected to be both as much as Tiger Woods was. That's why the backlash he is facing is more than Kobe Bryant faced for his alleged rape in 2003, and more than Steve McNair took posthumously after it was discovered he had been having an affair. Tiger Woods was on a different level from them and all other athletes, and you know what they say: the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

America is a country of second, third, even fourth chances. That's why Ron Artest and Adam "Pacman" Jones can still find work, and that's why Tiger Woods will be Tiger Woods once again, regardless of the result of this tournament.

However, a green jacket will help him even more.

Tags:     PGA Tour, Tiger Woods, Augusta National, Masters Tournament, Kobe Bryant, Steve McNair, Ron Artest, Adam Jones