Tiger Woods announced Monday that he is getting “professional help” after he was pulled over by police near his home in Jupiter, Florida, last month.
“I’m currently receiving professional help to manage my medications and the ways that I deal with back pain and sleep disorder,” he wrote in a statement posted to his Twitter account. “I want to thank everyone for the amazing outpouring of support and understanding, especially the fans and players on Tour.”
Police arrested Woods, 41, on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs early on Memorial Day after he was found asleep at the wheel of his car. He failed at least two field sobriety tests and appeared disoriented in police video.
But Woods registered 0.00 during a Breathalyzer test later in police custody, and he said in a statement that an “unexpected reaction to prescribed medications” caused the incident that day.
Mark Steinberg, Woods’ agent, told ESPN in a recent phone interview that Woods has been grappling with “insomnia and sleep issues” as a result from pain related to his back.
“He’s been in pain for so long. He’s had to handle the pain, which then potentially leads to the lack of sleep because you’re in so much pain,” Steinberg said.
At the time of his arrest, Woods had been recovering from his fourth back surgery, which was performed in April. Just days before the incident, he stated in a post on his website that the surgery had drastically improved his quality of life.
“It is hard to express how much better I feel,” Woods wrote. “It was instant nerve relief. I haven’t felt this good in years.”
Woods’ arraignment had been originally scheduled for July 5, but was pushed back to Aug. 9 last week for unexplained reasons. His last tournament win dates back to 2013.