The plea came hours after a sheriff’s report said the golfer showed signs of impairment at the scene of an accident last week.
Published March 31, 2026
Golfer Tiger Woods pleaded not guilty Tuesday in a DUI case in Florida, hours after a sheriff’s report said he was on painkillers and showing signs of impairment at the scene of an accident last week.
Online court records in Martin County, Florida, showed Woods entered a written not guilty plea and plans to waive his appearance at his arraignment hearing next month.
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According to an arrest report released by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, Woods’ eyes were bloodshot and glassy, his pupils dilated, and he had opioid pills in his pocket when he was interviewed at the scene of the accident.
The golfer was slow, lethargic and sweating when he spoke to officers and said he had taken prescription medication earlier in the morning, according to the report. The report said Woods told deputies he was looking at his cell phone and playing with the radio before crashing into the truck in front of him.
Police found two white pills in his pocket that were identified as the opioid hydrocodone, which is used to treat pain, the report said.
When asked by a deputy if he was taking any prescription medication, Woods replied, “I do take some.”
Mark Steinberg, Woods’ agent at Excel Sports, did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment.
The golfer was driving at high speed on a residential road along the Jupiter Island coast when his Land Rover was pinned by a truck and overturned, the sheriff’s office said. Woods reportedly showed signs of impairment.
The report said damage to the truck was $5,000.
The truck driver and another person helped Woods out of the vehicle, but the golfer had to get out from the passenger side. Neither Woods nor the truck driver were injured.
During field sobriety tests, deputies noticed Woods was limp and wearing a compression sock on his right knee. The golfer explained that he has undergone seven back surgeries and more than 20 foot surgeries, which caused his ankle to become stiff when he walked. The report said Woods had hiccups during the interrogation and kept moving his head during sobriety tests, requiring deputies to repeatedly remind him to keep his head straight.
“Based on my observations of Woods, how he performed the maneuver, and my training, knowledge, and experience, I believed that Woods’ normal abilities were impaired and that he was incapable of safely operating a motor vehicle,” the deputy wrote after the inspection.
Woods, 50, is one of the most influential people in golf and as famous as any athlete in the world. He became the first African-American to win the Masters in 1997 and has captivated golf fans with records that will likely never be broken.
However, his injuries prevented him from achieving much more, with his right leg severely injured in a 2021 car accident and doctors considering amputation.
In this case, authorities said Woods consented to a breathalyzer test, which showed no signs of alcohol, but refused a urine test. He was arrested and released on bail eight hours later.
No one from Woods’ camp or the PGA Tour, which serves on the board of directors and chairs the committee to rebuild the playing model, has commented since Woods’ arrest.
Woods, who has been involved in numerous accidents over the years, has been charged with drunk driving, criminal damage to property and refusing to submit to a legal test. His arraignment is scheduled for April 23, but online court records do not list an attorney for him.
A change in Florida law last year made it a misdemeanor to refuse a police officer’s request for a breath, blood or urine test, even for a first-time offender.
