Tiger Woods accepts five-year driving ban in plea deal over Florida crash

The DUI charge has been reduced to reckless driving

Tiger Woods has avoided a trial over his Florida crash after reaching an agreement with prosecutors that will see his original DUI charge reduced to reckless driving.

The 50-year-old golfer has agreed not to contest the lesser charge and will face a five-year suspension of his driving licence, along with a $1,000 (£742) fine under the deal reached in Martin County.

Woods was arrested in March following a rollover crash and was initially accused of driving under the influence and refusing to submit to testing. He pleaded not guilty to both misdemeanour charges later that month.

At the time of his arrest, Woods said he was seeking treatment. The new agreement means the DUI allegation will no longer form part of the case, with prosecutors accepting the reckless driving charge as the outcome.

What happened to Tiger Woods in March

Despite the severity of the crash, nobody was hurt. Woods was left trapped inside his vehicle, however, and had to make his way out through the passenger door after the car struck a truck before overturning.

Police later published body camera footage from the scene, giving a glimpse of Woods’ interaction with officers immediately after the crash.

In the video, released in April, the golfer appears composed as he kneels on one knee and explains what happened. “I looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden, boom,” he tells police.

Woods told officers he had not been drinking that day, and Sheriff John Budensiek said he passed a breathalyser test. He did refuse a urine test that would have screened for other drugs, though, and acknowledged taking prescription medication that morning.

When asked what he was taking, Woods replied, “I take a few”, before naming the medication. That section of the footage was later redacted.

Police told Woods they believed his “normal faculties” had been impaired by an “unknown substance”. Authorities subsequently said they found two white pills in his pocket, which were identified as hydrocodone, an opioid frequently prescribed for pain relief.

Six months from not guilty to no contest

"I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today," Woods wrote on social media after the crash, adding that he was stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on his health. Six months on, the reduced charge and the agreed penalty resolve the case without a trial. Woods is not the only figure in sport to have spent this year in front of a court over a car: a Real Madrid star has been convicted of drink driving, and Raheem Sterling was charged with dangerous driving after crashing into barriers on the M3.