Michael Jordan Reportedly Joining Tiger Woods Press Conference (Update)

Tiger Woods will, a la Punxsutawney Phil, emerge from his rehab-cave today for an hour to let the world know whether golf will be interesting or not for a few months. And, if Brad Faxon is to be believed, it will be Michael Jordan -- and not his wife! -- who will join him at the nationally televised (and live-blogged) press conference.

Also ... notable: Notah Begay! (via Deadspin)

Faxon said Notah Begay dropped out of this weekend's PGA tournament in Mexico to be with his former Stanford teammate at the press conference, adding, "I know Michael Jordan's going to be there. I know Elin is not going to be there. ... I think Tiger really wants some friends there. That's why this thing is really a mystery to me."

[...] "It would be fantastic in this press conference if he laid out the entire timeline of what happened," Faxon said. "This has taken on a life of its own that's way beyond golf."

Faxon is a notorious Dennis & Callahan "friend of the program" so there's no telling if this is true or if he's just hooking them up with the first early morning run of page views in what is sure to later be called "National Tiger Woods Press Conference Day."

But, as far as sources go, he's a pretty reliable one, especially when he's making the statement publicly. As far as what this means, well, if MJ -- no slouch in the "passionate personal life" department -- is showing up and Elin's not, it probably doesn't bode well for the future of Tiger's relationship with his wife.

Unless, of course, he's talking about a separation from his family, in which case this is a fairly logical move. Except the part about bringing Jordan with him: regardless of what the public believes about Jordan's legacy as a basketball player, the way he's viewed as a "family man" is beyond comical at this point, and there's little chance anyone will see his presence as a positive influence on a guy trying to recover from a sex addiction.

(Random thought while non-libel-ly thrashing MJ's character: What the hell happens if he comes forward and cops to a sex addiction??? And lest you chastise me for having such a thought, nothing is improbable at this point.)

Update: Darren Rovell, who almost always has a strong grip on the Nike-related pulse of the sports world, reports via Twitter that Jordan will NOT be at the press conference.

Update x2: Jordan's reps apparently contacted the ESPN folk to let them know that MJ will NOT be appearing at the Tiger presser. Too bad, although it had to have been fairly amusing when his agent woke up, heard that rumor and spewed an early swig of coffee all over his laptop/television.