C.J.: Why, Tiger? A criminal profiler has insights

One word connects Tigers Woods' cheating scandal with countless criminals who got sloppy, according to internationally recognized criminal profiler Pat Brown: Arrogance.

The author of "The Profiler: My Life Hunting Serial Killers and Psychopaths," scheduled for a May release, joked that the philandering athlete of the decade is "not a serial killer, he's a serial driller."

In no way is Brown suggesting Woods is a criminal in the classic sense. He's obviously not a violent man based on speculation about his hasty middle of the night, barefoot retreat from an enraged, possibly golf club-wielding wife.

Famously focused on the golf course, Woods was apparently fixated on womanizing in his private time, indulging an insatiable appetite at variance with the wholesome image that his wife, Elin Nordegren, mother of their two young children, thought was a reality, as did his now former million-dollar sponsors, Accenture and Tag Heuer.

Lately Brown's TV appearances -- on Thursday she was on HLN with Joy Behar -- have been about the suspicious disappearance of Susan Powell in Utah.

The criminal profiler seen on NBC, MSNBC, FOX, ABC, CNN or CBS explaining the minds of criminals and others who've behaved egregiously -- Paris Hilton, Gov. Mark Sanford and Jennifer Wilbanks -- had harsh, unflattering insights into Woods. Since Brown hasn't yet been on TV to comment on Woods' predicament -- HLN's Nancy Grace is slipping -- I let the profiler rip.

The essence of Brown's character analysis of the golfing great now in hiding is that he appears to be a narcissist, an arrogant man on an ego trip. But there's so much more to say.

"I'm guessing that Tiger Woods has always had the silver spoon given to him. He was the apple of his parents' eyes, especially his daddy's eye," said Brown. "He thinks he can do what he wants to do and everything he wants, Tiger should get. Apparently he has used his fame, money, freedom, if you can call that freedom when he's traveling, to do whatever he wants. It shows a high level of narcissism, which makes sense when a person has the [athletic abilities he does], and a lack of empathy for his wife. He is unable to feel what she feels. He is unable to control his own desires, and he thinks he has the right to have it.

"What is interesting is that he's gotten so many women in so many different ways, including [allegedly] prostitution, which is breaking the law; he apparently didn't have a problem with that. He's above it all. Can't touch him on the golf course, can't touch him in bed -- apparently he thinks he's hot in bed -- can't touch him in the media. Only now he's just found out he can indeed fall from grace.

"Tiger got caught with a woman by the National Enquirer in 2007 and he buys them off. Didn't stop him, though," said Brown. "I think what we are looking at is a high level of arrogance. How do you get to where [he is] and not realize that you have to be careful with every communication, every move you make," said Brown.

"Every place you're at, you can be followed. Cameras can pop out. You go into your room and you better check the holes in the wall. Don't let anybody get behind you during sex, [or] they take the phone out and you'll be seeing that shot. You get a high level of arrogance, you think you ride above it all. You are untouchable," said Brown.

"And it's interesting. Look how long he's gotten away with this. It's not that people didn't know, everybody knew in that segment of society what Tiger's been up to [off the golf course]. It hasn't been a hidden thing. He got careless.

"We see that with serial killers. In the beginning of their serial killing they are careless because they don't know any better. Then they get smart and they're careful. And then they get so arrogant, so used to doing it, they stop paying attention to what they're doing.

"I think Tiger's the same way. He got to the point he was doing it so much, he just got more and more careless. He thought he was completely untouchable.

"We see this all over the place," said Brown. "It's not what that woman represents really. It's the power you feel you have over her. When you get married to a woman, she doesn't quite do it for you in the way she might when she's dating you, or another woman might do. Just the simple thrill that when he walks into a room and takes his clothes off, his wife isn't going, 'OH MY GOD, TIGER, I CAN'T WAIT TO BE WITH YOU!' " Brown was borrowing a breathy voice we haven't heard from her on TV. It was very funny.

"It's 'Hey, honey, I've seen you before. Did you take me out and romance me tonight, because I'm tired? You're not that exciting.' He wants that thrill again, so he goes with his power and money and he's either going to buy that woman's thrill or just because of who he is she's going to be thrilled anyway. Or thrilled about what he's going to do for her in the future. So when he gets in her view she is going to be gushing, oooing and aaahing over everything about him. It's a big, huge ego trip.

"His wife can't give that to him anymore. She can give him a decent ego trip if he's a solid, healthy, emotional human in a marriage and relationship. He could say, 'My wife makes me feel good everyday by being there for me, putting up with me.' But if he wants this big fat ego trip all the time, like he's on a first date, he's going to have to get a lot of first dates."

Not a problem for Woods, based on all the women who now can't wait to disclose their steamy Tiger tales.

Brown does not buy the opinion that Woods needs sex rehab, even though some 13 women -- not that all can be believed -- have come forward to talk about having had sexual relations with him, some of which started (again, if you believe them) before and shortly after his 2004 marriage.

"He's a man who likes sex," Brown said. "Every man likes sex and a woman who likes to have sex with him. That is really the thrill. Having women fall all over you and doing whatever you want them to do. Apparently there are women saying he's a bit kinky. Let's not even say kinky -- let's say [he has] sexual desires he would like fulfilled. When you are with your wife, she might fulfill them some of the time, but sometimes she may say 'Really? Quite frankly, I don't feel like doing that tonight.' That's what life with a wife is like," said Brown.

"The other disadvantage to having a wife is that you actually have to make HER interested in sex; you have to make her happy. You don't have to bother with that with new women. A lot less work."

Shouldn't a man who has marital infidelity issues stay far, far away from the likes of Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, the same way an alcoholic should avoid bars and nightclubs?

"Yeah," Brown laughed. "It depends whether we think what we're doing is a problem for us. If this man wanted to be honorable to his wife and really valued the relationship and his wife's heart, he would not go in places where he'd be tempted by strange and new women. He would bring her brother, if she had one, to say 'Don't go down that road.' He didn't want to [live up to his marriage vows]. He went anyplace he could get women."

Brown said that Woods' disinterest in woman who are obviously black or Asian, two of his ethnic roots, has nothing to do with race. "Everybody has a tendency. Some people... like a variety of play things: the exotic, somebody different every day," said Brown. "A lot of people have a type they just happen to be attracted to for whatever reason. I myself am the same way, I don't tend to go for blonds, I don't think to go for white guys, never have." (Maybe Tiger should be her man. Brown is a blonde. He's allegedly gone cougar, at least once. OK, I'm joking... )

Brown is not teasing, though, about how thrilled she is that Elin Nordegren is expected to file for divorce from Woods.

"I'm sick of women who stay with outrageous philandering husbands who have totally disrespected them. I'm glad Jenny Sanford has dispatched that relationship [with the governor of South Carolina]," said Brown. "I definitely think this woman needs to get the hell away from Tiger. He has totally, totally disrespected her.

"We are not talking about a guy over in Vietnam who was lonely and went to bed with a bar girl. We are talking about somebody who just threw it in her face. You have to think about how many times he has lied to her about everything. That means her relationship is a big farce. She's figuring this one out. No reason to put up with this crap. If he's willing to do this to me for this long, I can't trust him."

Is there any chance that the placid Nordegren, who has recently suffered the indignity of paparazzi mispronouncing her name while asking how she feels about Tiger's multiple mistresses, chased Woods swinging a golf club?

"In a case like this," said Brown, "when you just find out he's slept with everybody in the world, lied to you for year, I wouldn't be surprised."

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com. E-mailers, please state a subject -- "Hello" doesn't count. Attachments are not opened, so don't even try. More of her attitude can be seen on FOX 9 Thursday mornings.