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Tiger Woods pleads to reckless driving, gets 5-year license suspension

sportsSep 2, 2026343,278

Tiger Woods pleaded no contest Wednesday in a Florida court to a reduced reckless driving charge and a reduced charge for refusing a lawful urinalysis, resolving the March 27 crash case without jail time. A judge ordered Woods to serve five years of suspended sentences on both counts concurrently, during which his driver’s license is suspended; violating the terms could trigger jail. The charges carry fines of $1,000 and $500, which his attorney Douglas Duncan told the court he would pay immediately. The case stems from a rollover crash on March 27 in which Woods, 50, clipped a pickup truck; neither driver reported injuries. Woods told police he looked down at his cellphone and was changing the radio when the crash occurred and he failed a sobriety test; a breath test showed no alcohol, he refused a urine test, and officers reported he admitted taking "a few pills" and described him as lethargic, with two hydrocodone pills later found in his pocket. State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl said prosecutors reached the agreement after toxicologists and medical records showed Woods had a pharmacological tolerance to prescribed hydrocodone, making DUI harder to prove. Woods had previously completed a DUI diversion program in 2017 after pleading to reckless driving and recently spent weeks at a rehab facility in Switzerland before returning to limited public appearances.

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