What Tiger could learn from Letterman...

David Letterman's crisis communication plan earned an "A."

So far, Tiger Woods' plan is earning an "F."

And that is shocking -- at least to me.

Could the world's most-recognized, and probably wealthiest, athlete be mishandling his incident any worsely?

Here's what we know: Letterman was not only guilty of having an affair, but having an affair with a staff member. Woods' car hit a tree. That's all we know.

Yet Letterman was relatively unscathed by his incident, and Tiger is taking a beating.

Why?

For one, Letterman fell on the sword immediately -- at least immediately after being caught, and publicly. Then he moved on. And America let him.

Tiger, who might well have done nothing wrong, seems intent on not being forthcoming.

Maybe he's protecting his wife. Maybe he's trying to protect his pristine image. Either would be understandable. But picking a fight with an information-craving public, and press, is one that even Tiger is not likely to win. The story of what really happened will be told, just like the Letterman story was going to be told.

Is it fair to Tiger Woods that the truth eventually will come out? Should his privacy be respected at the expense of an investigation? Should Letterman have had to fess up to his sins?

Here's one thing to consider: It could be argued that no one has made himself more of a public figure than Tiger Woods. Some of it comes with the territory of being a professional athlete. But Tiger makes only about 10 percent of his money as a golfer. The other 90 percent of his billion-dollar worth is a byproduct of his well-earned and well-marketed image. It's hard for a person like that to hit a tree, cut up his face, lose consciousness, have his car beaten with a golf club (either in an attempt to rescue him, or something else), tell the police three times that he's not going to tell them what happened, and expect to be left alone.