The Constitution doesn’t specifically mention a right to privacy. It’s probably a good thing. Had the framers of that document started listing what was private and what was not, we’d have been in legal entanglements for over 200 years.

We all claim such a right and want our privacy, but always on our terms. That’s doable, unless you are a public figure such as Tiger Woods.

Next to Muhammad Ali, Woods may be the most recognizable athlete in the world. He’s certainly the richest. And he’s generally a good person, who gives a lot to charity and behaves the way you’d want a person of his fame and following to have.

Until lately, that is.

Woods is living in a fantasy world if he thinks he can demand and receive privacy after his latest escapade. He is quick to denounce rumors and reporting about what might have happened when he had his car accident outside his Florida home Saturday morning, but to say nothing about what actually happened and then insist on keeping the matter private and in the family is wishful thinking. A man as smart and savvy as Woods knows that cannot be achieved.

There are simply too many unanswered questions about what happened and what caused it. Coupled with reports he has a girlfriend on the side only fuels the frenzy over the whole thing and the public’s desire for the truth and lots of details. His refusal to meet with police to give an accounting — he is within his right to do that — only keeps the story alive and makes people think Woods has something to hide.

He probably does. It seems unlikely he committed a crime, but nobody leaves the house at 2 in the morning, rams into a fire hydrant and tree, loses consciousness and winds up in the hospital unless something bizarre and out of the norm occurred inside that house.

Woods can demand privacy, but he won’t get it. He has been successful so far at keeping a lot of details about his private life outside of public scrutiny. When he isn’t playing golf, he keeps out of the spotlight. He has literally walled himself off from the world. However, the weekend incident cannot be controlled so well.

Woods is so rich he can afford to lose endorsements and prize money over this. But he values his good name and reputation. Maintaining that in the face of his reaction to the wreck is not so easy.

Woods is entitled to a measure of privacy, but not always on his own terms. This is one of those times when the public, not Tiger Woods himself, will set the terms.