In what was a shocker, Tiger Woods was recently arrested on DUI charges. But as the news went viral, one particular golf influencer did something surprising. He deliberately didn’t post the news of Woods’ arrest, which did not sit well with the golfing community. 

“You think I told our team to not post about Tiger Woods DUI and to protect him? You’re goddamn right I did. You want me on that wall. You need me on that wall. We’ll protect Tiger Woods till we fu**ing die,” said Samuel Riggs, a podcast host and a golf content creator for Barstool Sports. 

Soon after, the golfing community took offense at such biased reporting. The likes of Michael McEwan, host of The Bunkered Podcast, reposted Riggs’ tweet. Lashing out at the influencer, McEwan pointed out how getting a big profile does not guarantee someone with true, honest journalism and reporting skills. 

But are there nuances to understand?

Fans slam Riggs over controversial stance

Infuriated by the stance, one fan commented, “Cause no one would know this happened if Riggs doesn’t report on this. Moronic. Another fan chimed in, “The end of journalism. Enjoy,” 

The outrage grew after Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports posted a tweet, writing, “Why hasn’t Barstool covered the biggest story in sports??? Well this just came across my desk.”

The tweet had a screenshot of a chat with an anonymous person. “Riggs told me not to post Tiger DUI fyi if anyone wondering why we haven’t yet. Just letting you know,” the person said.

That didn’t sit well with many, and some even claimed that Riggs must have special Tour access or a relationship with Woods’ circle. On the other hand, some just called him a “stupid fanboy”.

Well, Riggs is indeed a big Tiger Woods fan. In 2018, Riggs’ dream of a one-on-one interview with Woods came true. For him, it was a day he would never be able to forget.

“Oh my gosh, I remember every second of it,” Riggs said. “It was as high as it could possibly be. I’m a person that speaks for a living and I was concerned I wasn’t going to be able to talk.”

In fact, it was a filmed interview – the cherry on top for Riggs. But should fandoms dismiss serious risks? That is the question one fan asked.

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA – FEBRUARY 16: Tiger Woods looks on during the second round of the Genesis Invitational on February 16, 2024, at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, CA. Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire GOLF: FEB 16 PGA, Golf Herren The Genesis Invitational EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon24021610042

“Talk about being tone deaf. So we should just wait for Tiger to kill someone or himself? Copy. @RiggsBarstool you are part of the f***ing problem. You can’t acknowledge someone’s spiraling & needs help? With a platform as big as yours, you should speak up on it. Get f***ed,” read the comment.

Since Tiger Woods’ crash, several fans have been concerned that his reliance on pain medications might have become more serious. After all, while Woods blew a .000, he refused the urine test, leading officers to believe in medical impairment. And his past isn’t really a good sign.

In 2009, the golfer crashed his car into a tree close to a neighbour’s house and was under the influence of sleeping pills. In 2017, emergency services found him sleeping behind the wheel of his car. Afterwards, toxicology reports showed Vicodin, Dilaudid, Xanax, Ambien, and THC inside his body.

So, another comment read, “The man is no different than the guy who killed the Gaudreau brothers.”

Taking matters further, this fan compared Woods to Sean Higgins, who was charged with the death of American hockey brothers Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau. Higgins was reportedly intoxicated at the time, with a blood alcohol level of 0.087.

Then, questioning Riggs’ love for golf, one fan said, “You started watching golf like 6 years ago Riggs. You didn’t even watch Tiger in his prime…”

Riggs journey truly is that of ice rinks to fairways. He played hockey most of his life and only picked up golf later in his life. However, considering certain timelines, his interest is sure to have existed way before 2016-17. After he had been a part of Barstool Sports for some time, he told Portnoy of his desire to write about golf. And in January 2017, the “Fore Play” podcast was launched.

So, amid the backlash, one fan appeared to be defending Riggs and Woods both.

“Well good thing he wasn’t drunk. You realize this man lives on pain killers because his body is constantly in pain. It’s just how he functions. That doesn’t excuse the fact that he should’ve had a driver don’t get me wrong but it’s not even remotely the same situation.”

That is true since Woods had his seventh back injury back in October 2025. Even after the 2017 incident, he pleaded guilty to reckless driving, explaining that it happened because of an “unexpected reaction” to multiple prescription drugs. He further said that he had been self-medicating because of the pain after his spinal fusion in April.

In the midst of it all, the noise really hasn’t settled, bringing with it an unsaid responsibility that the golf media has to be careful.