Should Tiger’s sins be publicly atoned?

Tiger Woods today posted on his Website an apology—opening line: “I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my hear”—without admitting what he was apologizing for. Not much mystery there though: Us Weekly published this story about an alleged 31-month affair he had with an LA cocktail waitress.

Tiger went on to say:

But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy. I realize there are some who don’t share my view on that. But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one’s own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions.

Really? Why not? You are the sporting world’s first billionaire, with a squeaky clean image and a livelihood, while obviously built on your talent, that has been buoyed by the fact that golfers and sports fans in general love you. And every move you have made over the past week has been nothing but shady.

Sadly, I don’t think most Americans expect celebrity athletes to be faithful. Remember the coverage of Steve McNair’s murder that referred to his mistress as his girlfriend? But they do expect sports stars to be honest with them. Not sure which the bigger sin—Woods’ or the American sportsfans’—but both should be publicly atoned for.