Despite a media firestorm over Tiger Woods' car accident and alleged affairs over the last week, EA is publicly opting to respect the athlete's wishes to keep his life private and standing by their long-running golf series' namesake. "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10" marks the game franchise's ten-year anniversary at EA (or eleven if you count "Tiger Woods '99"), and the company clearly doesn't see any reason to rock that boat now.
"Our strong relationship with Tiger for more than a decade remains unchanged," EA said in a statement to GamesIndustry.biz. "We respect Tiger's privacy, we wish him a fast recovery and we look forward to seeing him back on the golf course."
EA's response to last week's events, which saw Woods crash his Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant and kick off a week of heated media speculation shouldn't surprise anyone. As long as he keeps playing golf and selling new editions of "PGA Tour" there's no reason for EA to distance themselves from him professionally.
The comments followed Woods own confession on TigerWoods.com, which requested that he be allowed to deal with his situation behind closed doors.
"I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart," Woods' statement read. "I have not been true to my values and the behaviour my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behaviour and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone."
Do you agree with EA's move to stick with Woods? Are you surprised by their decision? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.