Tiger Woods Accepts Five-Year Driving Ban in Florida Plea Deal

​Golf legend Tiger Woods had his driver’s license suspended for five years on Wednesday after striking a plea deal in Martin County Circuit Court.

​Woods, 50, pleaded no contest to reduced charges of reckless driving and refusal to submit to a lawful test stemming from a March 27 rollover crash near his Jupiter Island home. Under the agreement, the original driving under the influence charge was dropped, and Woods was ordered to pay $1,500 in fines.

​Accompanied by his attorney, Doug Duncan, and his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, Woods stood before Judge Darren Steele, who issued a stark warning regarding the terms of his punishment. “If you were to drive for any reason at all, you would go immediately back to jail,” Steele told the 15-time major champion.

​The legal proceedings close a chapter on an incident that began when Woods’s SUV clipped a truck’s trailer, veered off the road, and overturned on its side. While a roadside Breathalyzer test detected no alcohol in his system, deputies reported finding two hydrocodone pills in his pocket. Investigators noted signs of lethargic movement and sweating, with Woods later telling authorities he was distracted by his mobile phone and the vehicle’s radio.

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​State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl defended the resolution, noting that toxicologists found evidence of a high pharmacological tolerance to prescribed pain medications, complicating direct proof of chemical impairment. Mark Steinberg, Woods’s longtime manager, emphasized that the golfer continues to prioritize his health and recovery.

​The crash prompted Woods to step away from competitive golf earlier this year to spend several weeks at an inpatient treatment facility abroad. While his legal penalties leave him grounded from driving regular motor vehicles for half a decade, Florida law permits him to continue operating a golf cart.