Elin Nordegren's Next Move: Tiger Woods' Wife Could Sway Public Opinion

Feb. 18, 2010— -- Tiger Woods appears to be preparing a professional comeback, but the actions of his spurned wife may play the biggest role in repairing his image.

Speculation about whether Elin Nordegren will stand by her husband's side Friday as he delivers his first public statement in three months has run rampant, with sports and relationship experts saying her presence, or lack thereof, could mean more than whatever Woods has to say.

Family therapist and relationship expert Terry Real said Nordegren's attendance at Friday's news conference would signal a united front that could be critical to Woods' billion-dollar empire.

And her forgiveness -- or her refusal to forgive -- may sway the rest of the country to follow suit. "If she falls, America may fall," he said.

Her presence at the news conference would say, "I'm not saying I'm blissfully happy, but I am standing by this man for the moment," he said.

But Los Angeles public relations expert Howard Bragman said Nordegren should let her husband go it alone.

If she appears standing next to her man, Bragman said, "I think that's really going to be greeted with a lot of cynicism.

"I don't think she should be the story," he said. "I think this is one time when he has to go into the lion's pen by himself and not have Elin by his side."

But Nordegren has been a big part of the story since Woods' Thanksgiving Day car accident prompted a stunning fall from grace and the revelation that he'd had several mistresses while maintaining a squeaky-clean image for the public.

The couple is reportedly in counseling. Real said Nordegren has every reason to want to make demands of Woods.

"She has to have him on probation," the therapist said. "You have to be brain dead to welcome him with open arms."

Real, who has not counseled the couple, said it's common for the cheater in the relationship to feel relief and a sense of being ready to move on. But the spouse who gets left behind faces a whirlwind of emotion that could last for a long time.

"Elin must be reeling from trauma," Real said. "This is just a baseball bat to the head for the woman."