Tiger Woods pleads no contest to reckless driving charge after Florida crash, receives five-year license suspension
Tiger Woods pleaded no contest Wednesday to a reduced reckless driving charge stemming from a March rollover crash near his Florida home, ending a case in which he initially faced a DUI charge.
Woods appeared in Martin County court and accepted the reduced charge. A judge suspended his driver’s license for five years. Woods also pleaded no contest to refusing to submit to testing and was ordered to pay court costs.
The 50-year-old golfer spoke little during the hearing and sat at the defense table before looking toward the courtroom gallery. He arrived with his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, who sat behind him during the proceedings. Woods left the courthouse without speaking to reporters.
A no-contest plea does not constitute an admission of guilt, but it means the defendant does not contest the charge. The system treats it as a conviction.
Woods was arrested after his SUV struck a truck and rolled onto its side on a residential road near the beach on Jupiter Island. Deputies reported finding two pain pills in his possession and said he displayed signs of impairment. Woods passed a Breathalyzer test but refused to provide a urine sample.
He had previously pleaded not guilty to the original DUI charge.
Neither Woods nor the other driver was injured. His Land Rover caused about $5,000 in damage to the truck. Woods told a deputy that he had been looking down at his phone and changing the radio station when the crash occurred.
The incident was the latest setback in a career that has been heavily affected by injuries, multiple surgeries, crashes, and problems involving pain medication. Woods has been involved in four vehicle crashes and has taken extended breaks from professional golf, including after the 2009 crash and the latest incident.
Woods has not returned to tournament competition since the March crash. He also left the United States to receive treatment at an inpatient facility.
His first public appearance after returning from treatment came June 23, when he presented the PGA Tour's plans to overhaul its schedule beginning in 2028. Woods has continued serving as chairman of the tour's Future Competition Committee despite the arrest. He did not take questions during that appearance.
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