(CNN) — In a tightly controlled televised statement, golfer Tiger Woods gave an apology Friday for his “irresponsible and selfish” behavior.

“I know I have bitterly disappointed all of you,” said the golfer, dressed in a blue button-down shirt and a blazer. “For all that I have done, I am so sorry. …

“I had affairs, I cheated. What I did was not acceptable, and I am the only person to blame.”

The nearly 14-minute statement was his first public appearance since his November car crash outside his home near Orlando, Florida — the beginning of what would become an torrent of bad news for the golfer.

“I owe it to my family to become a better person, I owe it to those close to me to become a better man. … I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it,” he said.

The 11 a.m. ET event, at the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse in Ponte Vedra Beach, was carefully managed, with a small hand-picked crowd as an audience.