Tag Heuer drops Tiger from US ads

In a move that follows consulting firm Accenture ending a six-year deal with Woods, Tag Heuer chief executive Jean-Christophe Babin told Swiss newspaper Le Matin on Friday that his firm will not use Woods images in US ads for the foreseeable future.

"We recognize Tiger Woods as a great sportsman but we have to take account of the sensitivity of some consumers in relation to recent events," Babin told the newspaper.
The company, a unit of French luxury goods empire LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, would continue to back Woods's charity foundation, Babin said.

Tag Heuer's move mirrors that of razormaker Gillette, which last weekend announced it was dropping Woods from commercials during his hiatus, calling it a supportive move.
"As Tiger takes a break from the public eye, we will support his desire for privacy by limiting his role in our marketing programs," Gillette said.

Tag Heuer provided only the latest in a series of blows on a day when Elin Woods reportedly hired famed Hollywood divorce lawyer Sorrell Trope and details emerged about a 2007 deal between a US magazine and Woods to keep an extra-marital affair secret.

Elin Woods has hired 82-year-old Trope, a noted divorce attorney who has represented such stars as Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Nicolas Cage, Britney Spears and Cary Grant in a 60-year career, the New York Post said.

AT&T, which backs the US PGA Tour event operated by the golfer's foundation, is re-evaluating its relationship with Woods.

US sportswear giant Nike, which pays Woods an estimated USD 40 million a year, still backs Woods as it has since his 1996 pro debut, with chairman Phil Knight telling Sports Business Journal the unfolding saga is a small problem.

"When his career is over, you'll look back on these indiscretions as a minor blip, but the media is making a big deal out of it right now," Knight said.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the National Enquirer kept quiet about a Woods affair in 2007 in exchange for Woods giving rare access for a cover story to sister publication Men's Fitness.

Under terms of the deal, the Enquirer would not publish photographs and a story on Woods having an extra-marital affair and Woods agreed to a cover and photo spread in Men's Fitness, the Journal reported, citing unnamed sources.