Tiger Woods Press Conference: Highlights, Transcription

Tiger Woods photo courtesy Keith Allison on Flickr.

A teary Tiger Woods defends Elin; announces return to rehab (Video of Tiger's full apology below).

The world tuned in to the high-profile Tiger Woods press conference at 11 a.m. Eastern on Friday morning. Even NBC halted their Olympic coverage for Tiger's 10-minute speech and 10 more minutes of commentary surrounding it. Here LimeLife has the highlights of the Tiger Woods press conference transcribed, as Tiger praised his wife Elin's "poise and grace," begged the press to stop staking out his children, and stayed mum about his return to golf.

NBC reported that Tiger Woods' wife Elin Nordegren did not attend Tiger's talk; she's said to have stayed hidden away at their Windermere, Florida home. (One NBC analyst counted that Tiger mentioned her name 14 times and seemed to address her directly in his speech.) Some golf media boycotted the Tiger Woods press conference, as Tiger's camp severely limited the number of press invitees on their list. Of the media who were present, none were allowed to ask questions after Tiger's talk -- instead he stepped off of his podium to hug his mother and friends from his golf days at Stanford.

Highlights of the Tiger Woods press conference:

"Many of you in this room are my friends. Many of you know me...now, every one of you has good reason to be critical of me.

"I want to say to each of you...I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in.

"I know people want to find out how I can be so selfish and so foolish...how I could have done these things to my wife Elin and to my children.

"Elin and I have started the process of discussing the damage caused by my behavior. [As Elin has pointed out to me], my real apology to her will not come in the form of words. It will come in my behavior over time. What we say...will remain between the two of us.

"I have let you down, and I have let down my fans.

"For many of you, especially my friends, my behavior has been a personal disappointment. To those of you who work for me, I have let you down personally and professionally.

"My behavior has caused considerable [damage]...to my staff, board of directors, sponsors, and...the young students we reach. This work remains unchanged and will continue to grow. Millions of kids have changed their lives, and I'm dedicated to making sure that continues. I know I have bitterly disappointed all of you. I've made you question who I am and how I have done what I did.

[Looks at camera] "For all that I have done, I am so sorry.

"I have a lot to atone for. But there's one issue I really want to discuss. Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night. There has never been...domestic violence in our marriage, ever. Elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. Elin deserves praise, not blame.

"I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did is not acceptable, and I am the only person to blame. I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in....I convinced myself that no more rules [applied]...I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by...I felt that I had worked hard my entire life ...thanks to money and fame, I didn't have to go far to find them. I was wrong, I was foolish...the same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. I brought this shame on myself. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife's family, my friends, my foundation and kids all around the world who admire me.

"My failures have made me look at myself in a way I never wanted to before. It's now up to me to make amends. That starts by never repeating the mistakes I made. That starts by leading a life of integrity...it's not what you achieve in life that matters, it's what you overcome.

"It's hard to admit that I need help, but I do. For 45 days from the end of December to early February, I was in in-patient therapy receiving guidance...

"These are issues between a husband and a wife." [Tiger Woods raises the rumors that he took performance enhancing drugs]: 'This is completely and utterly false...I still believe it is right to shield my family from the public spotlight. They did not do these things, I did.

"When my children were born, we only released photographs so that the paparazzi could not chase them. My behavior doesn't make it right...to stake out my wife and they pursued my mom.

"Please leave my wife and kids alone.

"I recognize I have brought this on myself, and I know...that I am the one who needs to change. I have a lot of work to do...I was raised a Buddhist. [It] teaches that a craving for things outside of ourselves [leads to emptiness and insecurity].

"As I move forward, I will continue to receive help ... Starting tomorrow, I will leave for more treatment and more therapy. I would like to thank my friends at Accenture...to understand why I'm making these remarks today.

"I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don't know when that day will be. I don't rule out that it will be this year. When I do return, I need to make myself more respectful of the game.

"To everyone who has reached out to me and my family, thank you. Your encouragement means the world to Elin and me. I want to thank the PGA tour...for their patience and understanding while I work on my private life. I look forward to seeing my fellow players on the course.

"Finally, there are many people in this room, and many people at home who believe in me. Today I want to ask for your help. I ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again."

When Tiger Woods does return to golf, will he ever shine again? It's questionable, but our friends at Hollywood Life have broken down the debate -- go here.

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