Pecker admits to covering up Tiger Woods affair and blackmailing him into interview with American Media Inc.

In an unexpected turn of events during the trial involving Donald Trump’s hush money payments, David Pecker, head of National Enquirer publisher American Media Inc., admitted to covering up a story about Tiger Woods in 2007. According to reports from The New York Post, Woods was caught cheating on his then-wife Elin Nordegren with mistress Mindy Lawton and photographs were taken inside Woods’ Cadillac Escalade. Pecker revealed under cross-examination that he bought the photos but approached Woods about a deal to avoid publishing them. Shortly after, Woods appeared on the cover of Men’s Health, published by American Media Inc., and also granted an extensive 12-page interview inside the magazine – highly unusual for someone as private as Woods at the time. The Post reported that according to one source within his inner circle, “It was a total shakedown. He (Woods) was totally blackmailed… he had no other choice.” This admission came after Pecker’s Men’s Health editor quit following revelations about Woods being forced into the interview due to media pressure and blackmail tactics by American Media Inc., which also owns The Enquirer. However, despite denying a quid-pro-quo at the time of this incident in 2007, Pecker did run another story on one of Woods’ mistresses several years later when more scandals emerged about his infidelity. Notably, these were far from being isolated incidents; subsequent exposés came thick and fast for Woods over the following few years. However, this first instance was buried entirely due to media blackmail pressures waged on a compromised victim trying not only protect but maintain professional life by signing with American Media Inc. While the revelations regarding Woods’ cheating surfaced before he suffered multiple surgeries and subsequent health problems in recent times that have led some commentators questioning his future as an athlete, it is perhaps fitting to note that at 48 years old, and on better medical terms today than was so almost fifteen long ago when all of this transpired – Woods could very well be a much more compelling candidate for the cover or editorial pages in Men’s Health these days!