Steve sands and mike tirico. The Los Angeles Sheriffs Department is going to be holding a News Conference moments from now. Ari melber picks up our coverage of that. Hi, ari. Good to see you as always. Good to see you, my friend. Thank you, nicolle wallace. I want to welcome you to the beat. Im ari melber. And were following this Breaking News, tracking the condition of golf legend tiger woods after his single car crash in southern california. At any moment, well get an update from the l. A. County sheriff. Woods reportedly pulling from the wreckage through the windshield. He was pulled it through. Firefighters say he was alert the whole time. Woods was the only person in this car. His agent also saying woods suffered multiple leg injuries and is in surgery. We are awaiting this Press Conference, as we can see there. Its about to begin. We expect to learn something from this with our experts onhand. Lets listen. Involving eld district tiger woods. Joining me is captain james powers and other members of the executive command staff. Also joining us here today is l. A. County fire Chief Daryl Osby. Now i would like to introduce the sheriff of Los Angeles County, alex villanueva. Thank you, captain minosa. Today at 7 12 in the morn, lomita Sheriff Station received a call of a solo Vehicle Collision in Hawthorne Boulevard north of palos verdes drive. We arrived onscene at 7 18 a. M. And discovered the solo Vehicle Collision and the sole occupant was again tiger woods. And deputies at the time they did not see any evidence of impairment, anything of concern. Obviously the life setting measures that had to be taken for the occupant of the vehicle and chief osby will speak to that regard. And it was solo vehicle. Unfortunately, during the course of the investigation of this, there was another Traffic Collision happened with people being looky loos. But that thankfully there was no injuries associated with that. The vehicle traveled several hundred feet from the Center Divider at the intersection and rested on the west side of the road in the brush. Sustained major damage to the vehicle. Youve seen all the images of that and with that, our lomita Sheriff Station will be conducting the traffic investigation, and it will take them from days to several weeks the get the whole thing together. Once the investigation is completed, we will provide a detailed report. It will be available based on public request and we will not discuss it any further after that point. At this point i want to introduce Chief Daryl Osby, l. A. County Fire Department. Good afternoon. Im fire Chief Daryl Osby of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. At approximately 7 22 this morning, resources from Los Angeles County fire station 106 received a report of a solo Vehicle Accident at the intersection of Hawthorne Boulevard and palos verdes drive north in Rolling Hills estates. Upon arrival of the scene of the accident, resources and personnel from the Los Angeles County Fire Department observed a single rollover vehicle incident with one person trapped. The person trapped was extricated by the Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel. Earlier, it was stated that the jaws of life was utilized to extricate the person trapped. It was later determined by our personnel that a tube used for prying and ex was also used to pry the person free from the vehicle. The person was packaged at the incident in stable condition with serious injuries. And because of the fact they needed to be extricated, they were transported to Harbor Ucla Hospital because of the extrication and Harbor Hospital is also a Trauma Center. As indicated earlier, there is also a second Vehicle Accident with no injuries. Thank you. And the vehicle involved is a 2021 genesis. Its a midsized suv. [ Speaking Spanish ] [ Speaking Spanish ] let me switch now to q a, english or spanish. Could you explain a little bit more . Youre talking about there was no evidence any more specific about that and you also mentioned lifesaving efforts were performed. Can you be more specific about that . Well, the deputies arrive on scene, there is a vehicle that rolled over, there is someone inside the vehicle, they cant remove him, obviously was he unconscious . Well leave it at that. He was alive and he was conscious and thats the extent of that. What about the evidence of impairment, you said there was no evidence . There was no evidence of impairment. Subsequent to that, there was no effort to draw blood for example at the hospital. Nothing was removed from the scene or found at the scene . No evidence of impairment at this point in time. But but ill let chief chief osby. Good morning. Tiger woods was conscious when you got there. Did he say anything to the paramedics who arrived . And can you tells us a little bit more if you didnt use the jaws of life, how exactly did that Extrication Process Take place . Okay. The information i got back from my personnel and the things they would do is a scene assessment. It was brought to my attention the was conscious. Now exactly what was said is unknown, but he was conscious. Our personnel maybe an assessment to make a determination to the level of consciousness, make sure that theyre breathing, controlling any serious bleeding, and then control and address any serious injuries. It was brought to my attention that he had serious leg injuries, and that was assessed at the incident. The jaws of life are used as part of a package to extricate people that are trapped in vehicles. But it was later determined and brought to the attention that the jaws of life were not used to extricate tiger woods. We used a holden tube, which is a tube used for prying and used an ax to pry him from the vehicle. He was taken from the vehicle with a collar and backboard for spinal precautions. He was had the proper splints because of the nature of the incident being a solo vehicle rollover and the fact that it required an extrication, that meant Trauma Center criteria. The nearest Trauma Center to the area is Harbor Ucla Hospital where he was transported in serious but stable condition. Which leg . That i do not know. Its my understanding that he had serious injuries to both legislation. Both legs. Was it his decision to go harbor ucla or you took him to the closest Emergency Room. Was it that severe thats what you had to do . That was the determination to where to be transported was made by the paramedics and the captain unseen. The reason that tiger woods was transported to Harbor Ucla Hospital is because its a Trauma Center criteria. Because of the nature of the incident, it was a solo rollover vehicle and the damage to the vehicle and also it required him to be extricated, thats one of the criteria that meets Trauma Center criteria. Therefore, he was transported to the nearest Trauma Center which is Harbor Ucla Hospital. Was he airlifted . And can you tell us if he had injuries anywhere other than his legs and were any of the injuries critical . He was not airlifted. There were no other life endangering injuries to my knowledge. Could you clarify that question if you could . I know its a little early. Any indication of the speed at the time the vehicle lost control over the Center Divider . We talked to neighbors saying going down that hill youre at 50 plus. Any indication how fast that vehicle may have been going at the time he flipped . Well, at the time it crossed the Center Divider to the point it rested was several hundred feet away. So obviously that indicates they were going at a relatively greater speed than normal. However, because it is downhill, it slopes and also the area has a High Frequency of accidents. It is not uncommon. Try to brake or stop . No skid marks, no breaking. So apparently the First Contact was the center median, and from there then across into the opposing lane of traffic, hit the curb, hit a tree, and there was several rollovers during that process. Any preliminary indication of excess of 45 . Theyre going to have to figure that one out. Thats why the Traffic Investment make the big buck us that make. Sheriff, what can you tell us about his condition now . Weve reached out. Weve been in touch with his manager, and they do not want to release anything on his condition right now. Do you hear that he is out of surgery and perhaps been moved to his own room, sheriff . All we know is serious condition as a result of the accident and thats all they want to say. Weather is not a factor. Sheriff how long was that process . When we arrived on scene at 7 18, they were notified within four minutes. We got the call from the Sheriffs Department at approximately 7 22 this morning. Our resources arrived onscene at approximately 7 28. I dont have the information right now in relation to how long it took to extricate him from the vehicle. Do. You have any indication there were medications involved . No. Did someone call 911 or a bystander . We had a neighbor call 911. Thats how the call was received at the station. Did he fall Asleep At The Wheel . No appearance of impairment at this time. When you say impairment, what impairment are you looking at . Were looking at signs of under the influence of narcotics, medication, alcohol, odor of alcohol, all these Different Things that would give you an idea and their behavior, but there was none present. Now were going beyond what we have at the time. The investigators will have to figure that out. I understand essentially a black box that report theirs information about how fast is car is going. Did this vehicle have that . The investigators will be able if they have it, theyll be able to have that and download it. And that will give us a good idea. [ inaudible ] not that were aware of. Sheriff, you said that he was conscious. Was he able to communicate how much pain he was in, whether or not he was able to communicate. He was conscious. Ill leave it at that. [ Speaking Spanish ] sheriff, do you know how long he was in the car before 911 arrived . Well we got the call at 7 12. And that came from the neighbors. So we assume they made that call almost immediately as soon as it happened because the neighbors are sitting right within 50 feet of the location. So they saw the crash happen. If they didnt see it, they heard it. It literally happened at their doorstep. This is a courtesy car he was driving, a genesis courtesy car, is that correct . That is correct. And its possible mr. Woods was on the phone when the accident occurred . Or is that something well have to ascertain that, if it was distracted driving. Describe all the tools that were used to extricate mr. Woods from vehicle . As it pertains to the vehicle as articulated earlier, it was a rollover accident. And so tiger woods was trapped inside the vehicle. So our firefighters and our firefighters paramedics used the pry bar they call a haloden tube and it acts to pry parts of the vehicle away from him so they were able to extricate him from the vehicle. At what point did you realize it was tiger woods . Did he identified himself . What. They recognized him and he identified himself as well. Sheriff, did you say no blood was drawn at the scene . No, we dont have that capability, no do we want it. The accident crime scene has taken a long time. Its been there now for several hours, just moving the car now. Is there a reason so much time has been taken at this crime scene . Are there certain factors youre looking at . Are there certain pieces of evidence youre hoping to find or is it simply the fact this is tiger woods and this is the way were going the handle it . Well, any serious accident of this nature is going the take time. It usually takes hours. And removing the vehicle is one of the last steps. And theyve done all their mark. Took in all their measurement, took up all their stuff. And three or four hours is pretty normal, actually. The Celebrity Component does not play any factor . I dont think that will play a factor in it. Did the neighbors approach checking on his wellbeing . Did they make to it the site and actually make contact with him . No, they did not. No. There is a bluff. Theyre sitting about 20 feet above the place where the vehicle came to rest. Can you more after he was taken out able the take a couple of steps . Can you talk a little bit about what that looked like . He was not able to get up, no. That was not an option. Did tiger woods ask you to contact anyone for him . Did he ask you to contact a specific member of his family or a specific number of his team that was at this Golf Tournament . At the hospital he did but not at the scene. Im sorry, can you clarify . He did at the hospital, but not at the scene. He asked you to contact . Yes. A member of his family . Who was it. Oh, a member of his team. Inside the car the interior, the cabinet of the vehicle is more or less intact. The front end was totally destroyed. The bumper, everything was destroyed. Air bags deployed, all of that. However, thankfully, the interior was more or less intact, which kind of gave him the cushion to survive what otherwise would have been a fatal crash [ Speaking Spanish ] [ Speaking Spanish ] did he give any indication of where he was coming from or heading to . He definitely was heading northbound on hawthorne. Was he wearing a seat belt . Yes. [ Speaking Spanish ] [ Speaking Spanish ] the Rolling Hills estate sign that is right there . He actually struck the first one going northbound and that was on the center median. That was the first thing to make contact with. Can you repeat that . [ inaudible ] not to my knowledge. There are some reports that he was seen speeding earlier in day. Have you heard those in other interviews . That will be up to the Traffic Investigators and relevancy. Any more question . Sheriff, you say anything is a factor in this . Like every accident in that area, when its downhill on a curve, you know, the speed, the vehicle code, 2250 says unsafe speed for driving conditions. Typically at an accident when its a factor one of the sections are cited, and sometimes just because thats the posted speed limit, if thats a wet road, for example, that doesnt mean your speed is fixed there you. Actually have to slow down lower than that for the conditions of the road. Downhill on a curb is a lesson for everyone. You got to be aware of this. I know you answered the question about some clarity. He is coming down off the hill, speeding, we think is a factor. What is the first thing he hit when loses control . Walk us through the event there . From what i understand, the first thing was when he made contact with the center median. It would be the welcome to Rolling Hills estate sign. Sheriff and thats in the center median. There are two signs. He hit the southernmost of the two signs and then he winds up going across southbound lanes into the brush on the other side. Did he hit the trees, is that correct . Yes, there is a tree, about eightinch stump and that one was sheared. You talk about the fact that he communicated. Can you describe to us his Pain Threshold at the time . This is a man who has to be rushed into surgery today. And his legs are damaged. Was he in shock . Was he in tears . Was he in excruciating pain . How can you describe his reaction . I will leave that up to chief osby on that one. Once again, daryl osby, fire chief of Los Angeles County Fire Department. I cant respond to the specifics of tiger woods. I mean, some of those questions are personal and need to be released from him or whomever is representing him. The only thing i can tell you from my experience of working in Public Safety for the past four decades, that any time youre involved in a single Vehicle Accident like this with rollover and that level of damage and broken legs and lacerations that youre going to be in severe pain. What was your concern then, chief, when he was injured and youre transporting him . How concerned were those paramedics to get him to the hospital in a certain amount of time . The fact of the matter is that he was of serious condition, but he was stable enough to transport to a Trauma Center. If the injuries were more dramatic and they couldnt control an airway, then they would have transported him to the nearest facility. But the fact that he was stable enough to be transported to a hospital farther away, which was the most appropriate hospital to be transported for because of the nature of the injury, the nature of the incident says that it was a very serious injury. He met Trauma Center criteria, but he wasnt so serious that he needed to be transported to the nearest hospital for immediate lifesaving procedures. Chief, does l. A. County fire captain says that he was able to stand as they assisted him out of the vehicle. This idea that he was able to stand. I cannot respond to that statement. I dont know. Chief, just to clarify, is he still at that same Trauma Center now . Its my understanding that he is still at Harbor Ucla Hospital, and no statement has been allowed for release yet. To be released yet. Actually, before Deputy Gonzalez was actually the first deputy on scene. So he can perhaps clarify some of the questions that you may have. Good afternoon. Im Deputy Gonzalez assigned to lomita Sheriff Station. Im deputy handling carlos gonzalez. Im the Handling Deputy for this current Traffic Collision and the first on scene. Can you speak to that question, the l. A. County fire captain says that tiger woods was able to stand as they assisted him out of the vehicle. Is there any idea that he was able to stand . Unfortunately, mr. Woods was not able to stand under his own power. Our partners at l. A. County fire were able to extricate him from the vehicle, and they put him on to a backboard. When i arrived on scene, mr. Woods was seated in the drivers seat. I made contact with him, and i insured that he was able to speak to me. At that time, he seemed as though he was still calm and lucid. I made the determination it would be safer to wait for l. A. County fire to remove him instead of trying to remove him myself. I kept mr. Woods calm until l. A. County fire arrived on the scene. What did you do to keep him calm, deputy . I spoke to him. The conversation can you share with us . I asked him what his name was. He said his name was tiger. I recognized him. I asked him if he knew where he was, what time of day just to make sure he was oriented. He seemed as though he was lucid and calm. Was he concerned about his injuries . He didnt seem concerned of his injuries at the time, which is not uncommon in Traffic Collisions. Many times people tend to be in shock. Its a traumatic experience. So its not uncommon for people to be focused on unimportant things or even if they are in pain that. May not feel it until much later. Caught on your body cam . Yes mix, body camera was used per department policy. The photos of the air bags, there is blood. Were trying to figure out anything were seeing. Agreed see any injuries other than the legs as you were assessing him onsite . I did observe injuries. I cant speak to the nature of the injuries. Im not a Trained Medical professional. So i cant speak the that what i can say is he was injured, and he was successfully removed and taken to the hospital. You saw that he had a seat belt on . He was wearing a seat belt. Any lacerations as well as the leg . If he did, i was not able to see them due to his clothing. Youve seen a lot of fire accidents. Do you think this saved his life . As mentioned by the sheriff, that specific stretch of roadway someone of our trouble spots. Our locals in rasp and Rolling Hills estate know its a spot for Traffic Collisions as well as speed. In my experience as well as a deputy who is traffic trained and a traffic car, have i seen many collisions. The nature of his vehicle, the fact that he was wearing a seat belt, i would say that it greatly increased the likelihood that it saved his life. Is this the worst accident you have seen on that stretch . I would will say no because i have been doing this for a while and ive seen fatal Traffic Collisions. Its very fortunate that mr. Woods was able to come out of this alive. Deputy gonzalez, this is an accident prone stretch, correct . Weve seen a number of accidents on this specific stretch, is that correct . This stretch of roadway is downhill. Its sweeping. Speeds there, the speed limit is 45 miles per hour. Myself, when im doing speed enforcement, he will sometimes catch people going 80 plus miles per hour. So its more of a thing that people see a nice stretch of road and maybe theyre not watching their speedometer or maybe theyre in a hurry. In your conversations with tiger, were you ever concerned in the time you spent with him that of his Pain Threshold or that he was going lose consciousness at all . At the moment that i spoke to mr. Woods, i was able to determine that it would have been safer for me to wait for l. A. County fire because his condition seemed stable, and i did not want to risk further injuring himself by trying to remove himself myself. [ inaudible ] so the neighbor that lives behind heard the collision and came down and directed know the vehicle. As was indicated by the sheriff, there was another unrelated Traffic Collision that occurred several feet down the roadway, which i believe was due to people trying to look. And that also kind of distracted from what was occurring. Because he was several feet off the roadway. So i think most of the attention that people were focused on was on the roadway. One more question. One more question. Deputy inside the car [ inaudible ] as indicated by the sheriff, the Interior Passenger Compartment was intact. The air bags did deploy successfully. He was wearing his seat belt. I think this also kind of speaks to the marvel of modern automobiles in that theyre much safer than theyve ever been previously. Deputy, any idea how many times the vehicle flipped . We dont know that at this time. Do you speak spanish . Si. [ Speaking Spanish ] [ Speaking Spanish ] [ Speaking Spanish ] were there Security Cameras in the area . [ Speaking Spanish ] any citations . Thank you all for coming. This concludes our Press Conference. We have been listening to the first extensive briefing by authorities in lomita, california. The Sheriffs Department, Fire Department regarding this car crash of tiger woods, providing information about how he was found about the process, about the area which they say is prone to accidents. No evidence of impairment at this juncture is the summary they gave with regard to that question, and also mentioned that he remains in serious condition while emphasizing while everyone is concerned about tiger woodss wellbeing. They arent going beyond what his authority, his managers said he wanted to share, that he remains in serious condition and getting surgery. We have a panel of experts and reporters here tracking all of this. Quite a day for the woods family. I want to bring in nbcs Steve Patterson. He is at the hospital where tiger thai has been undergoing the surgery. Nbc sports jimmy roberts, who has been covering tiger woods for most of his career. Sands from the golf channel on nbc, and dr. Megan ranney, an Emergency Room physician. Steve, anything you want to share or add in context, having heard from the authorities in this first briefing . Well, just the biggest takeaway pertaining to color surrounding his medical status at the scene of the accident, which as you mentioned he was lucid, that he was well enough according to one sheriffs deputy to actually communicate, to say his name during the scene, even that he was in some respect, despite being physically injure and probably pretty seriously, he was calm at the scene, all lending itself to the fact that earlier we heard he was assisted from the scene and not taken from the scene. It lends itself to the fact that he was conscious well enough to be taken also in that information from a hospital that wasnt the closest from the scene. He went to the hospital that im now standing at, which is maybe at least one or two hospitals that would have been the closest away from the scene. So again, that he was in good spirit, he was conscious and alert and communicating, all lends itself to the fact that he may be doing better than maybe first expected, although, again, sustaining serious injuries to his legislation. Weve not heard anything about lifethreatening injuries or anything to elaborate from the hospital official here is onsite themselves. But just in hearing that Press Conference, hearing that he was able to communicate obviously a big part of whats going on here now. Also hearing about the actual site of the accident, that this is on a Steep Incline that area infamous for numerous Traffic Accidents, that the rate of speed posted somewhere around 45 miles per hour, that the sheriffs deputies say he has pulled people over that have done 80 plus miles an hour just because of the Steep Incline, the numerous s curves in that area lends itself to several accidents. And the fact obviously no signs of impairment at the scene itself. Obviously, more details are going to be worked out as the investigation continues. But that gives you an early picture of what it was like and that tiger woods himself was conscious as he was taken to the hospital. Ari . Thank you, steve. Hang with us. Ill remind viewers what weve been watch hearing on the overhead cameras as a grim reminder of how serious the accident was. The overhead shot here of mr. Woods vehicle that he was found in, obviously very banged up. We have this aerial shot of how theyre processing the vehicle. Dr. Ranney, your view on what the limited available medical information says about mr. Woods condition, as many of course are rooting for his recovery. An also the question that comes to mind with any athlete like this, whether you can deduce anything about if he is well enough to come out of the hospital and be fine, whether he can play again. You know, ari, those are the questions that were all asking. Ill say as a medical professional, as an er doc who sees these crashes every day, it sounds like this is a serious rollover with limb threatening injuries. They appropriately assessed made sure he was breathing, his circulation was okay, he wasnt bleeding out and then took him to a Trauma Center which is where we are best equipped to take care of this serious type of patient. At the moment of injury, we dont care who you are and we really dont care if youre impaired. That question is difficult to assess at the moment of a crash. It sounds like what they did is stabilize him, made sure he was safe for transport and did the right thing which was to get him to a Trauma Center. It sounds like based on what has been reported he did have major potentially limbthreatening injuries that required him to go to surgery. I can speculate as the what those might have been, open fracture, dislocations, injuries of the arteries or major veins in his legs. Until we get nor information, it will be difficult to say what comes next. But i can say after having emergent Trauma Surgery on your legs, it is unlikely for him to play golf again for a minimum of a couple of month, potentially much longer dependent on what types of injuries were sustained. Thats striking, doctor. Jimmy roberts, you followed this for so long. This is a sad day for anyone who is fan or cares about mr. Woods. Walk us through your thoughts about what he is going through today and this journey he has been on with so many ups and downs. Ari, ive been saying this a number of times today, regardless of whether youre a fan of tiger woods or youre not, the plain fact is he is basically the beatles. A day doesnt go by in his life when he comes out of his house and every Single Person that he encounters doesnt want something from him. He has been a remarkable athlete. The things that he has done as a golfer have been for the most part unparalleled. But i think beyond that, he has also been something of a cultural figure. I dont think there is any question about that. When he won the masters by 12 strokes back in 1997. All the things that he has done since. I think that just listening to the Press Conference, though, there is one thing that kind of called out to me despite the fact that we dont really know very much, i thought i heard one of the Fire Department people say that he had broken his legislation. I could be wrong about that, but i was pretty sure i heard that. If thats the case, anybody who knows the game of golf will tell you that your legs are the engine that enable you to do what you do. And the immediate parallel has s ben hogan back in 1949, one of the greatest golfers of all time. When he was injured, he and his wife were driving in texas, and they were hit headon by a Greyhound Bus and it took him a little less than a year to come back. He was able to go on and win, but he was significantly handicapped for the rest of his career. At this. It is way prem pre mature to speculate on anything like that. But so to answer your questions my thoughts are all over the place. Jimmy, let me jump in since you raised it for viewers. We did hear that from the authorities there, the report of broken legs. So confirming what you also heard and thats double sourcing, if you want the call it that, weve all been watching this briefing. First to you and steve can weigh in as well, given the doctors mentioning what stage he is and dealing with broken legs what this means tonight. Were getting that in the briefing. What this means tonight, jimmy, for people who would some day hope to see tiger woods play again. First of all, the first thought i have is i hope he is okay. Regardless of what he does for a living, you see a crash scene like that, you hope that anybody who is involved is okay. But for me, there is a cruel irony about this. At this point, tiger woods has 82 pga tour wins, and that ties him with sam snead for the most of all time. I think there are probably a lot of people who might have thought that his ability to reach 18 major championships which would have tied him with Jack Nicklaus would have been unlikely. He would need three more at this point. But i think most people probably thought he would have had a pretty good chance to surpass sam snead. And all he would need would be one more victory. And now thats what im thinking about. Youre wondering if he is going to be able the play golf again, and if he is not, what a cruel irony that is to be stopped there. Yeah. Steve sands, your thoughts. You know, to echo what jimmy was just talking about, Jack Nicklaus has the major championship record in golf with 18, and tiger is on 15. He has those 82 victories, the last Coming In Tokyo at the Zozo Championship Back in 2019. Also the year that he won his last major championship, the masters at Augusta National golf club. And like jimmy said, if you go back to the irony part of it, in 2008, on nbc, tiger won against Rocco Mediate in a monday playoff at the u. S. Open at torrey pines. The u. S. Open will be played again on golf channel nbc this june at torrey pines, and tiger is so familiar with that golf course, and he won it that week with a broken leg. Now this is a completely different scenario. But the irony there is definitely worth noting. And i think that for tiger, what tiger has been doing the last seven, eight years in the world of golf with his foundation, with his children completely different scenario than what tiger did as a professional golfer only competing against the best players in the world and being a machine with a focus unlike anybody we had ever seen in this sport. And he has opened up a little bit more in the last six or seven years. He has allowed people in a little bit more. He has certainly become a father figure, a big brother figure, ari, to the guys who are now the best players in the world on the pga tour. He talks with them. He jokes with them. He texts with them. He is in touch with them. Thats not what he was like when first came out the become the icon he ended up being. When he first came out of stanford and turned professor, he would ice everybody because thats the way he thought he needed to be on and off the golf course to be the best player on the planet. He is completely evolved over the years. Not only on the golf course as player, but also as a man, as a father, as someone who deals with his foundation and the kids that he is helping, millions and millions of dollars raised each and every year for thousands and thousands of children all over the world benefit from tiger and the tiger woods foundation. All were thinking about now is his health. Of course wed like to see him come back and compete. But thats the last thing on the minds of everybody right now. Yeah, and as the authorities were briefing on the crash site, the calls that came in, were looking at that footage. I want to bring in simone boyce who has been reporting on this near the crash site. Simone, take it away. Ari, well, we just heard the Sheriffs Office describe the scene of this accident. We can actually show to it you right now. This is Hawthorne Boulevard. He was heading northbound, which means he was heading down this curve. And the authorities just told us that its very likely that he was moving at a greater speed than normal. And they say thats pretty typical for this area. They tend to see lots of Traffic Accidents in this area because you can see just how steep the grade of this road. So when you combine that with a curve, that makes a perfect combination for near fatal accidents. I think thats just what is so striking what we heard from this Press Conference. I mean, they use words like he was trapped that he could have died. Thats how serious this accident was. You can see from the footage of the wreckage. Were told that he hit multiple objects during this accident. And while we dont know the cause of this accident, they did mention that there is no evidence of impairment at this time. We do know that speed is going to be one of the main factors that they are going to be considering in this investigation given the area. I mean, this area is called Rolling Hills estates for a reason, and you can see one of these hills behind me right now. Simone boyce, thank you very much out there. As you say, in that neighborhood. I want to thank simone and Steve Patterson who have been reporting on this for us. Our coverage continues. I want to keep our Sports Experts as well as dr. Ranney. Dr. Ranney, when you look at what the authorities did provide including choosing to share that they didnt see any evidence of medical impairment, while thats a question that comes up in the past, tiger woods has had these other issues, what if anything do you glean from that when obviously there is still more investigation of medical information thats not public at this time . You know, at this moment of the car crash, our top priority is making sure that we can save the persons life. Its not assessing whether they have been drinking or whether theyre high or whether they have been using other substances. Its about making sure that theyre able to breathe, that they havent lost their blood pressure, and that were going to be able to get them to the Trauma Center alive. That was really my take away from what they said during the Press Conference is they focused on making sure he was conscious, that he was protecting his airway, and he was safe and stable for transport to the Trauma Center where they could take proper care of him. The other thing i heard is them acknowledging that they cant release information without his consent. We do have this concept of protected Health Information in the United States that i have to get consent from the patient to tell us who details about whats going on besides the fact that he is serious or stable. So i heard a lot of dancing around what exactly had happened and how exactly he was doing. In ways, this left me with many more questions than we have answers. Saying he was awake at the time doesnt mean a lot. As the sheriff mentioned, you can see people who are in severe shock and are still awake and conscious and talking at the time of the crash. I have a lot more questions, and im hopeful that his manager team will release more information as the hours and days go by. And briefly, doctor, did you make anything one way or the other sharing the fact he identified himself as tiger, and it is different. Everyone is entitled hopefully to the same medical care, but this is a merit of huge public interest, and they immediately realized who he was. Yeah. I appreciated them mentioning that they take the same care of him whether he is a celebrity or not. As medical professionals, it doesnt matter who you are or where youre from. Were going take good care you have no matter what. I heard them sa if they knower in name, their age, what year, those are standard questions around assessing someones level of orientation and alertmentness. And i would hope they would treat him the same, taking him to harbor ucla which was the closest Trauma Center was absolutely the right thing. The other thing is the sheriffs comment about him wearing his seat belt and about the safety of cars. I dont look at this picture and you cant help but be struck how badly hurt that car is, and if tiger survives and goes on to be okay, it is going to be because he was wearing his seat belt and because he was in a modern car with air bags and all of the modern engineering that we use. So i really just want to use this to emphasize how lucky we are, how lucky he is that he was seat belted at the time of that crash. Jimmy, any final thoughts before we lose you . Listen, im a parent and im on the way to see my 17yearold play basketball. And im listening to what the doctor said and all i can think of is seat belt, amen. Yes. Steve sands . Well, to echo what jimmy just said, im about to go see my 16yearold play basketball. He just got his drivers license last week. Seat belts are very important, paying attention is very important. And for all of news sports and also just as fathers and as people, we sure hope tiger is okay. We hope he gets through this all right. 100 . I think i can echo that and appreciate the parental and medical view here. And a reminder to everyone to wear seat belts. Like in this case, the authorities mentioning mr. Woods did. My thanks to steve, megan. I want to turn now as were absorbing the Breaking News on tiger woods who is undergoing the surgery after his car crash, our coverage will continue right now with a friend and expert weve called upon before about both sports and the wider dimensions, bill rhoden, columnist for espn. He is among the many people Around The World shocked by this news, an incident broader than sports. Woods became a global icon when he went professional. While confronting racism on the golf course which elevated his own role, his symbolism and his responsibilities, whether he wanted it or not. Every time i go to a major country club, always feel it. You can always sense it. People always staring at you, what are you doing here. You shouldnt be here. Woods relationship to american racism and identity is very complex. His very first nike ad took it headon. And like other big moments in his career, it combined an undeniably Strong Performance with these issues in civil rights as well adds, yes, selfinterest, because it was a Sports Advertising Campaign to make money alongside these larger and significant themes. Hello world, are you ready for me . And everything that he represented. So whatever the motivation, as everyone as we just heard prays for mr. Woods safety, there is really no doubt that many others have been inspired by him over the years. Im tiger woods. Im tiger woods. Im tiger woods. Im tiger woods. Im tiger woods. Im tiger woods. I am tiger woods. Im tiger woods. Im tiger woods. Im tiger woods. This huge influence and journey would be enough of a story plus the road to winning the masters five times, yet woods also famously found himself on a rise and fall. He faced arrest and personal hardship and then came all the way back recently, winning the masters again in 2019. Some commentators dub it the greatest comeback in the history of sports. Ive battled. Ive tried to try to hang in there and ive tried to come back and play, play The Great Game of golf again. Ive been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to do it again. Bill rhoden covered tigers career, the columnist nor the new york times. He is the columnistespns the undefeated. Good to have you back, sir. Ari, how are you doing . Im good. Now you know why we called you tonight, sir. Do you know why we called you . Tell me. Ill tell you. Because we come to you when something is about sports that you know better than anybody. And yet also about more than sports. Weve covered this, obviously, for mr. Woods health. Weve covered the latest with the doctor and the experts, and yet theres so much more here any time tiger woods name comes up in america, Around The World. Why is he more than an athlete . Yeah. You know, man, so many thoughts going through. First of all, a, i just hope hes all right. Im echoing what Everybody Else said. You know, beyond the legacy. I was thinking, what is tiger thinking now . Do you know what im saying . Whats going through his mind now . Im sure hes thinking about his son, his daughter. Am i going to be able to walk again . Am i going to be able to play golf . Probably not am i going to catch am i going to win another major. Probably very fundamental things, you know. And when you get beyond that, its up to us to put him in perspective. As soon as i heard this stuff, man, i was thinking of kobe bryant. Were only like a year or so removed from that. And i was thinking, oh, man, you know, its such a season of loss. How do you put this in perspective, you know . Please, god, let him be okay, you know. You know, tiger may be the most significant golf athlete weve ever seen because of everything youve just shown. What he has meant to Everybody Else, people of color, young people, people who traditionally are outside the country club. And i think thats the foundation of our country. You always have a shot. Thats the way it should be. Thats the basis of the whole immigration policy. Everybody in this country has a shot. If youre tiger woods, if youre a young kid who is multiracial, not necessarily a country club kid. You have a shot. And i think thats whats been so great about tiger woods. Not only did he have a shot, he has redefined golf. He has redefined how courses are laid out. Then, like you said, when he won the masters, it kind of reminded me whenlit the olympic torch. A lot of people may have been pissed off at ali because of his stance against the war. In that moment he was able to come all the way back and become this american hero, icon. Thats what we love. We love that man coming back from the ashes. And when people had you buried and dead, and here you come, stronger than ever. Thats what tiger was in 2019. Thats what he continues to be. And on top of that, you know, he took his shots. He made his share of mistakes. Lots of mistakes. I was there to count them, you know. But the idea, man, that you just have this will that im just going to keep i am not going to be buried. Im not going to let you bury me. Im going to come back. Yeah, he displayed that throughout his career. His discipline is legendary. We saw that as mentioned in sports but also in dealing with racism in that sport of golf and in dealing with all of this while there was still, of course, questions within and beyond different minority communities in the United States about how he identified and evolved through that. It was thrust on him from teenage years on. Here he was back in the day with oprah. Take a look. You also get hate mail. I hear you insist upon reading it. Why . It reminds me what i have to try and do. As people know, golf has been kind of an elitist sport and, unfortunately its kind of six years ago wasnt even allowed at augusta. And clubs still practice that. Unfortunately i got kicked off golf courses numerous times, been called some pretty tough words to my face. Bill, how did he lead and evolve within a country but not always a monolithic way because he was figuring it out. I was thinking about this today, his legacy. I was getting nostalgic about muhammad ali because were coming up on the 50th Anniversary of his great fight with ali i mean joe frazier. Tiger i mean, muhammad ali is beloved. Hes beloved because of how he stood up for the black community. Hes beloved and never any ambiguity. I think tiger is evolving. I dont know if he was beloved like that. As you saw in that clip with oprah, racism is real and he just said you know, he told you the facts. But tiger never dwelled on it. That wasnt part of his thing. The sports cliche, ill let my golf do my talking for me. Thats what he did. Hes clearly if he was not to play another round of golf and i hope not. I hope he plays many more rounds of golf. If he doesnt play another round of golf, in my book, he is golf. He is golf. He is maybe one of the greatest golfers this sport has ever met because of a lot of Different Things. Not because of his ability to drive but just what he has done for that sport. Its immeasurable. Its really immeasurable. And today, man, im just praying for him, you know, just that hes you know, that hes just okay. Because i cant wait to see what hes going to do in the next 30 years. Who knows what hes going to do in the next 30 years. Hes on such a great trajectory. You know, it was good to hear that maybe the injuries were not life threatening and that hes going to be okay. I just want him to be okay and i just cant wait to see him write the rest of these chapters. Everyone is rooting for him. Im not going to go toe to toe on sports history with you, sir. I wouldnt dare. But something he does have in common no, i wouldnt. I wont do it. I wont even pretend to do it. Thats what youre here for. But the parallels with ali, of course, also remind us of why people are motivated by sports beyond just the game or who won the game that day. The inspiration and the motivation of discipline and resilience. Ali left the ring, got back in the ring. Some people felt at the end they were concerned he got back in the ring too many times. But people who get back up when we know and we saw boy, your inspiration is needed tonight when we saw how banged up the car was and we know how hurt he was and at a time when were going through covid and anything else we want to remember any single human can really get back up and do a lot when they believe in themselves and stay fit and try to pursue health. That is bigger than the field. Bill, thank you for being here tonight. Im wrapping up our hour. Well have to have you back to talk ali again when these anniversaries come up, sir. My pleasure. Tom brady, one more. There you go. Bill rhoden, telling us where he stands, as always. Thanks to him sbaul our experts. Were moving through this Breaking News on tiger woods. One more thing i want to show you tonight. A lot going on. Speaker pelosi holding a moment of silence to commemorate the more than 500,000 lives lost to covid in the United States. We covered the white house ceremony last evening. 500 candles lining the steps. Speaker pelosi joined by leadership across the spectrum. Congressman mccarthy, the republican leader, Senator Schumer and republican leader mcconnell. God bless america land that i love stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above its a solemn night there at the capitol. President biden, Vice President harris, their spouses came out to the front of the white house and as noted these commemorations should not and are not political in any way. They are just a time for to us try to get our minds and hearts around the magnitude of the deaths in the United States, and Around The World from covid, as we continue to deal with that crisis. As mentioned, weve also been covering the News Conference and news out of the tiger woods hospitalization after that car crash. Well continue to keep that coverage going for you tonight on msnbc. Thanks for watching the beat. Ill be back tomorrow 6 00 p. M. Eastern. The reid out with joy reid is up next. Good evening. We are following several major stories tonight. In a moment, the latest from a dramatic day on capitol hill where lawmakers try to untangle the chain of events that resulted in the worst Security Breach in more than two centuries. We begin with what were learning about the condition of golf icon, tiger woods, who was seriously injured after his suv went off the road and rolled down a hillside in california. The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department wrapped a briefing with reporters where we learned that woods remains in serious condition with injuries to both