Tiger Woods said he was talking to “the president” from the scene of the rollover car crash in Florida that led to his arrest for a DUI last week, according to police body camera footage.
In the video, Woods can be seen on the phone at one point as he walks towards police and can be heard saying, “Thank you.”
“I was just talking with the president,” the golfer then tells a waiting officer.
It is unclear if Woods was referring to President Donald Trump, a longtime friend of the athlete. Woods is dating Vanessa Trump, Donald Trump Jr.’s ex-wife.
The Independent has contacted the White House and a representative of Woods for comment.
President Trump told The New York Post on Tuesday that he had spoken with the PGA legend since the crash, but did not specify when their conversation took place.
“I think he’s doing great, he’s doing good,” Trump said in the interview.
The president also told the outlet he sympathizes with Woods.
“He tested negative for alcohol, as you know, and he is under a tremendous physical pressure from his various ailments, you know, the back and the leg,” Trump added.
“He lives a life of pain. He has a lot of pain. He’s an amazing guy. He’s an amazing athlete.”
On Friday, the day of the crash, the president told reporters in Miami he had just learned of what happened.
"I feel so badly. He's got some difficulty," Trump said. "There was an accident, and that's all I know. Very close friend of mine. He's an amazing person, an amazing man, but some difficulty."
Elsewhere in the police footage, the golfer can be seen down on one knee with his arms crossed, appearing to be cooperative with deputies as he tells them what happened.
Woods, 50, said he was looking at his phone and changing the radio station when his speeding Land Rover clipped the back of a truck and rolled onto its side on a residential road on Jupiter Island. No one was injured in the March 27 crash.
“I looked down at my phone and all of a sudden – boom,” he told deputies on the scene.
In the video, Woods is checked out by a sheriff’s deputy who tells him they will have a medic will examine him. After being assessed by Drug Recognition Experts on the scene, it was determined that he was “impaired,” with his eyes “bloodshot and glassy,” and he was taken to the county jail for testing.
Woods appeared stunned as he was handcuffed, according to the footage.
“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,” Martin County Sheriff’s Deputy Tatiana Levenar told Woods after conducting a sobriety test on him.
During the field sobriety test, deputies noticed Woods limping and that he had a compression sock over his right knee. Woods explained he had undergone seven back surgeries and over 20 surgeries on his right leg, and that his ankle seizes up while walking.
“I’m being arrested?” Woods responded as he stood alongside the road.
“Yes sir,” Levenar said.
After handcuffing Woods, authorities searched his pockets and found two white pills.
“That’s a Norco,” Woods said after an officer pulled out the pills, referring to a painkiller that contains acetaminophen and the opioid hydrocodone. Authorities would later confirm that Woods was in possession of hydrocodone.
In the body cam footage, Woods told Levenar that he had not drunk any alcohol and that he had taken “a few” medications earlier in the day, though Woods’ words are muted in the released video as he describes some of the drugs.
Woods, who was hiccuping during questioning, continuously moved his head during one of the sobriety tests and deputies had to tell him several times to keep his head straight, an arrest report said.
“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,” Levenar wrote.
At a press conference earlier this week, Sheriff John Budensiek revealed details from the crash that happened on South Beach Road shortly before 2 p.m.
He said Woods tried to go around the pickup truck pulling a trailer when he hit the trailer, lost control and flipped his SUV.
The driver of the pickup truck tried to edge off the side of the road to avoid a collision but with this being a small two-lane street, there was “no shoulder” for the vehicle to move on to.
Woods then swerved at the last minute to himself avoid a crash but clipped the end of the trailer carrying the pressure cleaning apparatus, causing him to list to the side and roll onto the driver’s door before skidding down the road.
In the body cam footage, the Land Rover can be seen on its side as deputies speak to the driver of the pickup.
”You sure you're alright boss?” the deputy asks the driver.
”Yeah, I'm fine, it was so like crazy,” he responds.
Neither Woods, who was the only one in his Land Rover, nor the driver of the pressure washer vehicle were injured in the crash. Woods was able to crawl out of his flipped SUV.
“He was not injured,” Sheriff Budensiek said a press conference earlier this week. “Again, he was lethargic on scene, but that we believe was because of what he was intoxicated on.”
Woods pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence. He was released on bail.
“I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,” Woods said in his first public comments since the crash. “I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.
“I'm committed to taking the time needed to return in a healthier, stronger, and more focused place, both personally and professionally. I appreciate your understanding and support, and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time.”
His next court appearance was scheduled for May 5, though he does not need to appear in person.
