Report: Tiger Woods told officers after arrest he was taking Xanax

Tiger Woods is shown handcuffed in police dash cam video released Wednesday. (Jupiter PD)
Tiger Woods is shown handcuffed in police dash cam video released on Wednesday. (Jupiter PD)

Tiger Woods told arresting officers last month during his traffic stop for suspicion of driving under the influence that he was taking Xanax.

Golf Channel reports on a new document release from the Jupiter (Fla.) Police Department indicating Woods’ disclosure to officers, which had previously been redacted from reports.

In the early hours of May 29, Woods was found asleep behind the wheel of his 2015 Mercedes-Benz on the side of a road in Jupiter, heading away from his home and restaurant, The Woods Jupiter. Officers put Woods through field sobriety tests, which Woods failed, before arresting him. He then blew 0.000 on a pair of Breathalyzer tests, dismissing the possibility of alcohol in his system. In a later statement, Woods said he had “an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications.”

Golf Channel acquired an unredacted incident investigation report following a public records request, which revealed a statement from on-scene interrogating officer Christopher Fandry.

“I asked Woods if he had taken any medication to which he stated ‘Xanax,’ ” Fandry wrote.

Woods mentioned Xanax during several field tests. In the release of the dash cam footage of Woods’ stop, the police removed audio at several points, during which Woods may have mentioned the medication. He didn’t mention Xanax when Woods was booked at public jail and tested for medications.

Xanax is a benzodiazepine, typically prescribed to treat anxiety and depression. The drug can have adverse effects in combination with opioids like Vicodin, which Woods told officers he was taking, including, according to the Food and Drug Administration, “profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma and death.”


Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.