Tiger Woods has earned a lot of respect and recognition in the world of golf. His dominance on course and fame off it has made him a legend in the sporting business. His name has become a brand that is recognized across every corner of the world. He was the face of golf for the longest time and still is for those who are not associated with the sport.
With all the fame and fortune often comes a change of personality. Those closest to Woods have had first-hand experience of Woods’ ruthlessness off the course. One such individual who has been quite vocal about Tiger Woods’ nature is his former agent, Hughes Norton. Let’s see what he had to say.
Hughes’ views on Woods
About two weeks ago, former IMG agent Hughes Norton sat down for an interview for The Golfer’s Journal. During the podcast, he spoke about his various interactions with Tiger Woods, including the incident of his surprise firing. One such interaction that reflected on the personality of Woods was when he received record-breaking deals from his sponsors. Hughes shared the deets about when he presented 20-year-old Tiger Woods with some of the biggest sponsor contracts ever seen in sports. The lucrative offers came from Nike, Titleist, and IMG which gave him access to $100 million.
Speaking about the terms of the contract, Hughes said, “For an agent, it was the crowning achievement to sit there with a $100 million in contracts, all of which Tom (interviewer) were fully guaranteed.” Clarifying what guaranteed meant, Hughes Norman also added, “Nobody really knew what was going to happen. Maybe he’s going to struggle. Maybe he’s gonna have a bad year or two to open his career. But there was no clawback. I made sure that that money was guaranteed no matter what happened to Tiger Woods.”
Excited to be presenting the contract to Woods, Hughes recollects the atmosphere at Tiger Woods’ suite during the moment. He said, “I’m sitting there, waiting for; you know, confirmation of that from my client.” Hughes added that Tiger Woods was not as responsive as he had hoped. Woods was just sitting there, eating his Big Mac, sipping on his Coke, completely nonchalant about what was just presented to him.
Describing Woods as a ‘pain in the a**‘, Hughes said that the golf legend didn’t care much about the commercial stuff. A dispassionate Woods asked Hughes, “Where do I sign?” Surprised by the level of indifference, Hughes angrily said, “Let’s go through this. I want you to understand again everything that’s involved; that you have to do for this money.” Woods ended up hearing Hughes out and signed all the contracts.
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Hughes’ reaction to the whole incident is understandable as anyone would be surprised by Woods’ reaction. This is not all that Hughes at to say. He continued to share what he felt during this particular confrontation.
How did Woods’ agent feel after the incident?
Hughes said that Woods went back to watching ESPN soon after the contracts were signed. He was disappointed by the reaction as he said, “It didn’t diminish the enormity of what I had done. I knew how great it was.” Reflecting on the entire episode, Hughes said that he has discussed many such challenges that agents can face in their careers. He went on to say, “He never really learned to show any gratitude or any sense of appreciation. That was just his personality.”
What do you think about this interaction? Do you believe Hughes’ sentiments are justified or can you relate to Tiger Woods’ reaction? Let us know in the comments section.
