On the May 12 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, noted television and radio sports personality, Jim Rome criticized Tiger Woods and discussed the potential that the struggling golfer might have used illegal performance enhancing drugs to help him dominate the PGA Tour.

 

Saying he'd never seen Woods look as bad physically or mechanically, Rome said he has definitely wondered if the golfing great used drugs to enhance his natural skills.

 

"Yeah, it's crossed my mind," Rome said. "Would I be surprised to find out he did? No."

 

Comparing Woods to Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds and other players who dominated their respective sports, Rome said anytime he sees an individual dominate the very best in the world, he wonders if they used performance-enhancing drugs.

 

"What do I think about Woods?" Rome said. "Anytime I see any athlete do anything dramatic physically, or have a dramatic achievement, or dominate their sport against the very best in the world; I'd be pretty naive not to wonder."

 

Admitting he doesn't know if Woods has ever used performance-enhancing drugs, Rome did say he thinks it is fair to question the source of the golfing great's abilities.

 

"Is there a possibility that maybe he was on the juice?" Rome said. "Maybe. Number one, he was treated by Dr. Anthony Galea, a guy who's been accused of distributing HGH. Tiger Woods has said, 'yes, he did treat me, but I didn't get anything illegal from him.' Fair enough. That might be true. But why are you associating with a guy like that? Why are you associating with a guy who may be dirty? Why are you associating with a guy who may have distributed HGH? It's a fair question."

 

Rome went on to criticize Wood's physical condition and question his future as a viable contender on the PGA Tour.

 

"All of the sudden this guy is like an old man," Rome said. "It's like it happened overnight. How about this: he's never going to be fine; he'll never be right; he's not coming back; he's not as mentally tough as you thought. Nobody's afraid of him, and he's breaking down."

 

Though Rome was hesitant to credit steroid or HGH use for the golfer's previous successes, he did challenge the notion that Woods was above suspicion.

 

"Is there any athlete in any sport right now that's above reproach?" Rome asked. "Can you look at a guy and say, 'I know for a fact they didn't do it and would never do it?' Not me. Not at this point. Not knowing what's at stake. Not knowing how much money is out there. Not knowing how competitive these guys are. Not knowing what they'll do, and the lengths they'll go to get an edge. How can you give anybody the benefit of the doubt right now?"  

- Ryan Lawrence