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Ex-NHL coach says police told him Elin knocked out two of Tiger's teeth

Jan 6, 2010, 10:00 AM EDT

337 Comments

Leave it to an ex-NHL coach living in Florida to get to the bottom of what transpired at Tiger Woods’ home on Thanksgiving night. You may discount this, but I find it one of the more believable accounts of what led to Mr. Woods’ Wild Ride; Pat Burns, during a radio interview with Toronto’s CKAC on Tuesday, said that a friend with the Florida Highway Patrol told him Elin Nordegren knocked out two of Woods’ teeth with a golf club after confronting him about text messages to alleged mistress Rachel Uchitel. The full story is pretty crowd pleasing, so let’s listen in.


From the Toronto Star, via the Sporting News:

Burns said a friend of his in the Florida highway patrol was among those who visited Woods’ home the night of the crash. Burns worked with the police in Florida before coaching hockey, according to the newspaper.

After eating dinner that night, Woods was watching football while sending and receiving text messages from Rachel Uchitel, one of his alleged mistresses, Burns said. Later, Woods left his phone on the coffee table when he went to play poker at a friend’s house. But Uchitel continued to text.

Here is Burns’ account of what happened next:

“His wife (Elin Nordegren) saw the message. When he returned, around 11:30 p.m. or midnight, she waited at the door. She asked what it was, these messages, and who was this woman.

“He kept saying there was nothing there. He went to watch television. … then suddenly, bang! A nine-iron in the face!

“He left the house running without shoes. Elin followed him with the club. He left in his Escalade. She followed him and broke two or three windows. That’s why he hit the tree.”

Doctors in the Orlando hospital Woods was taken to said he needed plastic surgery to repair the broken teeth, and that the facility best able to perform the operation was in Phoenix, Arizona. Woods was then transported to Phoenix.

This matches the account given by octogenarian sportswriter Furman Bisher on his blog two weeks ago, except that Bisher wrote that Elin also connected with his cheek bone. When police interviewed Woods on Dec. 1, they reported seeing him only with a “fat lip.”
There’s no earthly reason that Burns — who won more than 500 games with four NHL teams over a 14-year career — would come up with this out of the blue. If so it’s the biggest non-sequiter in sports.
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Is Tiger Woods’ absence attributable to broken teeth? [Sporting News]
Ex-Leafs coach Burns says Tiger Woods had teeth knocked out [Toronto Star]

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  1. maydaddy - Jan 6, 2010 at 10:51 AM

    and domestic violence charges are not being filed because ??????

  2. julie - Jan 6, 2010 at 10:53 AM

    OK, now I’m really pissed. AT HOME? AFTER DINNER? WITH YOUR FAMILY THERE??????????
    Really, Tiger. Get a grip.

  3. julie - Jan 6, 2010 at 10:54 AM

    At the risk of being railed on for double standards etc…..
    Because he deserved it!!!!!!!

  4. crazywabbit - Jan 6, 2010 at 10:58 AM

    I believe Tiger would have to press charges for that occur, although maybe Florida law handles that differently? I bet given the circumstances, Tiger would prefer his wife not to be charged. He’s got enough going on right now.

  5. melissa - Jan 6, 2010 at 10:59 AM

    She should have done a lot more ! He’s lucky

  6. -z- - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:05 AM

    The exact same details I got three days ago in an email purportedly from someone associated with Tiger’s law office. That missive went on to claim the reason we haven’t seen him is because he went to Phoenix for plastic surgery – Who knows what the truth is.

  7. Ralph - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:05 AM

    My guess is Tiger’s not pressing charges because he doesn’t want the world to know he got beat up by his hot wife. Just hope all of this helps Jack hold on to his majors title…Screw tiger

  8. Reena - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:07 AM

    This doesnt make sense seeing how the Florida cops said at first Tiger was not cooperating with him but then a few days after the incident he met with them in Florida. How could he be in Arizona at the same time I dont see him getting surgery and then getting on a plane to go back to Florida just to talk to the cops. Either the cops are lying or this guy is.

  9. B Davis - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:07 AM

    My wife attack me with knife and was arrested with assault charges and $50,0000.00 bond and I didn’t file charges the state file the charges. I guess if you have money you can get away with any thing.

  10. Rick - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:09 AM

    Maybe she moved to Sweden to avoid domestic violence charges. If a man did that to a woman, he’d be in the slammer no matter how many men she was “texting”.

  11. Cathy - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:12 AM

    Tiger deserves everything his is getting. This was not just an affair. He has a harem of women he cheated on his spouse with. He projected a ‘perfect’ image and sold products based on that. The man is a fraud and Elin exposed him. I could care less if we ever see Tiger’s face again. Good for you Elin !

  12. Molly - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:12 AM

    Every time the cops went to a planned meeting to speak with Tiger at his home, he kept postponing it until he finally cancelled it all together. He didn’t have to meet with the police and from all the reports I heard, he never actually met with them in person after the initial accident.

  13. keith - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:15 AM

    She should have used a driver!

  14. Dominique - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:17 AM

    Is he a lousy cheat? Yes. Should it be acceptable that his wife assaulted him? No. That should cut into that slice of 300mill she’s asking for, but I’m sure it won’t because for some reason we think a guy deserves his face being bashed in for cheating? What does that say about women that you are so full of vengeance? When you want to get even, you get a good lawyer. You don’t resort to violence with your kids in the house.

  15. philt - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:18 AM

    rumor has it that he has a 9 iron up his a–.

  16. dlp - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:18 AM

    He deserves a golf club in the face? What Tiger did, while against some peoples beliefs, was not even against the law. If what they say is true about the teeth, this is assault and definitely against the law. Give some thought to the reasons that Tiger did what he did. It is obvious that he was not getting what he needed at home. Perhaps we are looking at a cold coniving bitch that lured him into marriage on false pretenses, with this outcome in her mind from the beginning. I guess we will never know.

  17. John - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:20 AM

    There’s always a double standard when it comes to domestic violence. That said, Tiger got everything he deserved from Elin, but she did not “flee” the U.S. for fear of being put in jail, etc. There’s NO WAY anyone would have pressed charges against her given what he did.

  18. JC - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:23 AM

    He’s got enough problems to be charging his wife with domestic violence, I think the affected partner needs to charge for the police to get involved. The story makes sense, nobody has seen Tiger since Thanksgiving, he’s probably sailing on his yatch nursing his injury and having a helicopter drop one ot two babes, or you though a guy that needs sex so much could go without it for this long?

  19. No double standards - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:23 AM

    So can I beat up my ex wife because she had an affair? NO! We live in a society where women hit and beat men often, but it’s not ‘masculine’ to report it. As man, I would’ve looked like a wuss if I’d reported it. That’s the double standard! Julie, you are a hypocrite in the first degree.

  20. Delores W - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:24 AM

    As stated above, she should have used a Big Bertha driver. After all the women he “slept” with and used no protection, Elin was subjected to all types of STD’s, HIV, etc. Great golfer, dispicible human being. And, “I love my family”. Oh, please.

  21. NatTurner - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:25 AM

    Knocking out someone’s teeth becuase of infidelity is “crowd pleasing?” Is that like OJ knocking down Nicole’s door for her cocaine abuse is “crowd pleasing.” Please explain how assualt is crowd pleasing.

  22. Molly - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:26 AM

    Every time the cops went to a planned meeting to speak with Tiger at his home, he kept postponing it until he finally cancelled it all together. He didn’t have to meet with the police and from all the reports I heard, he never actually met with them in person after the initial accident.

  23. Kev - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:28 AM

    Just think of the damage she could have done if she kept her head down and that left arm straight on the backswing!

  24. Craig - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:30 AM

    Great perspective Dominique…..Tiger proved he is a dirtball, and I hope it costs him dearly (financially speaking). It appears it will also cost him his family, which again, he deserves, but it is so sad when there are children involved. Sad to think that he, and even Elin, did not consider their children before taking the actions that each have taken.

  25. NatTurner - Jan 6, 2010 at 11:31 AM

    So John McCain deserved to be beat when he admitedly cheated with several women? What about Reagan when he cheated on on Jane Wyman with Nancy Davis…should Jane have taken a 9 iron to his face? So who exactly gets to beat Newt Gingrich, Rudy Guliani, Roger Clemmons, Bill Cosby? Elvis raped and beat Priscilla when she had sex with her karate instructor…but not before he cheated on her with a few dozen women, who deserved the beat down in that case? Should Sonny have beat Cher for her indiscretion? Is Tiger the only star that deserves domestic abuse for infidelity?

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