Gillette drops Tiger Woods from marketing

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BOSTON, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Gillette became the first major sponsor Saturday to drop Tiger Woods from its marketing campaign after the top-ranked professional golfer admitted infidelity.

The move by the division of Proctor & Gamble follows one day after Woods said on his Web site that he was taking an extended leave of absence from golf "to repair the damage" done to his wife, family and children by his admitted infidelity.

A Gillette spokesman told The New York Times Saturday the move amounted to "a timeout" for Woods, while other media reports suggested it could be followed by Nike, Accenture, AT&T, Tag Heuer, EA Sports and Gatorade.

Woods, 33, the world's first billionaire athlete, has been besieged since a car accident early Nov. 27 in his neighborhood that prompted his confession to extramarital indiscretions, and the last time he appeared in a Gillette commercial was two days later.

He played only three tournaments before the 2009 Masters while recovering from June 2008 left knee surgery.

Also, Barbro Holmberg, his mother-in-law, recently was rushed to a hospital because of stomach pains.