Celebrities Behaving Badly, Tiger Woods Sponsors | featured news

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Nike Inc Chairman and co-founder Phil Knight said the scandal surrounding Tiger Woods is "part of the game" in signing endorsement deals with athletes and did not back away from the athletic shoe and clothing maker's relationship with the golfer.

Global consulting firm Accenture Ltd. has ended its relationship with Tiger Woods, marking the first major sponsor to cut ties altogether with the golfer since his alleged infidelities surfaced and he announced an indefinite leave from the sport to work on his marriage. In its first statement since the Woods' scandal erupted, Accenture said Sunday the golfer is "no longer the right...

It's unknown how the scandal will affect him as a spokesman, but most expect things to get better, using Kobe Bryant as an example.

As Tiger Woods uses silence to deal with the uproar over his alleged infidelities, his sponsors apparently are following suit, quietly not running his ads until the worst is over.