Tiger Woods Kindergarten Teacher Says He's Lying About Racial Incident
April 2 2010, Published 3:17 p.m. ET
Tiger Wood’s kindergarten teacher is saying that the golf superstar is lying about an alleged racist incident, and she wants a public and private apology, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Although the incident happened 5 years ago, this is the first time that Maureen Decker has spoken publicly.
Attorney Gloria Allred, who is representing the teacher, Maureen Decker, held a new conference Friday morning.
“Ms. Decker remembers Tiger Woods very well because of his cute smile and big glasses. Also, she remembers him as being intense and a perfectionist even at that young age. He interacted very well with other students,” Allred said.
Decker felt compelled to respond to an interview Tiger Woods gave for a 2005 book written by Charles Barkley.
In the book The Wicked Game, Woods says, "I became aware of my racial identity on my first day of school, on my first day of kindergarten. A group of sixth graders tied me to a tree, spray-painted the word 'nigger' on me, and threw rocks at me. That was my first day of school. And the teacher really didn't do much of anything."
Allred says, “Ms. Decker was therefore shocked when she first learned sometime ago of Tiger Woods’ statement alleging that he was the victim of a shocking, violent and racial attack on him the first day of kindergarten. ”
“Ms. Decker who has devoted her life to teaching young children, was mystified as to why Tiger would make such a serious and explosive allegation. Ms. Decker believes that no such incident ever occurred to Tiger Woods while he was under her care as a kindergarten pupil on the first day of class.”
Decker said the allegations have caused her elevated blood pressure, colitis and migraines.
“All I know is I’m telling the truth whether it was 5 years ago or not,” said Decker.
She also said there was never a racial incident, in fact, she said, “no one mentioned his race or his color”.
Allred said it’s time to set the record straight, “Under the circumstances where a dedicated teacher has been unfairly slandered and maligned for motives that can only be speculated about, we think it is time for Tiger Woods to do the right thing and retract his statement.”
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“No teacher should ever be treated in such a callous and unfair manner especially one such as Ms. Decker. The time for Tiger Woods to make direct amends to her is now.”
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Allred said there are no plans for a lawsuit, “it’s time to do the right thing and tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth.”
