( CNN ) -- The man closest to Tiger Woods when he plays golf says he had no idea about the extramarital affairs that have sidelined Woods from the game . Steve Williams , Woods ' caddy and confidant for nearly a decade , talked to New Zealand 's TV3 about the scandal . `` I knew nothing , '' Williams said in an interview posted on the station 's Web site Thursday . `` I do n't need to clarify it , extend that answer . I knew nothing . '' Williams said he 's heard the calls from some that he should be fired for not preventing Woods ' downfall . `` In some people 's perception , I 'm involved with it , and I 've committed a crime or done wrong , '' he said . `` If the shoe was on somebody else , I would say the same thing , it would be very difficult for the caddy not to know , '' he said . `` But I 'm 100 percent telling you , I knew nothing , and that 's that . '' Williams ' wife , Kirsty , defended her husband , insisting he would not have been able to keep the secret from her or Woods ' wife , Elin Nordegren . `` The four of us are so close , '' she told TV3 . `` Being so close , he could n't know and not say something to Elin or myself . You know , it 's just , that 's the way it is . '' Woods , 34 , apologized last month in a tightly controlled televised statement for his `` irresponsible and selfish '' behavior , which he said included infidelity . The February 19 statement was his first public appearance since he crashed his black Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant and a tree near his home in November . The crash and reports about why it happened sparked a barrage of infidelity allegations against the golfer , who has two children with his wife . Williams , who gets 10 percent of the millions Woods wins on the golf tour every year , said he would not have kept it secret just to protect his job . `` I 'm a straight up sort of person , if I had known something was going on , the whistle would have been blown , '' Williams said . `` He knows that I 'm straight up , that 's the way I operate . '' He said he is disappointed with Woods . `` Of course , I 'm mad at him , '' he said . `` Why would you not be ? He 's obviously let his family down . '' Williams said he and Woods will talk about the scandal eventually , but not now . `` When a guy 's having a tough time , that 's not the time , '' he said . `` It 's not up to me to beat him with a stick right now . I mean , he 's getting enough grilling from everybody else . '' Williams said his role now is to talk to Woods -- who he described as `` one of my closest friends '' -- about the future and help him get back on the golf tour . `` When you are friends with somebody , and you 're a true friend to somebody , that 's when somebody needs your support , and that 's when they need you the most , that 's when you do n't walk away , '' he said . In his February 19 statement , Woods left open the possibility of returning to professional golf this year . Williams predicted that Woods would bounce back from his troubles . `` Tiger 's biggest asset is his mental strength , '' he said . `` So , he 's going to need all his mental strength to get out of this , no question about it . '' With Woods not playing , Williams is spending more time with his personal passion : speedway racing in New Zealand . `` When I 'm not working on the tour , I do n't miss it one bit , '' he said .
Steve Williams says some think he should be punished for not knowing Woods ' downfall . ` ` But I ' m 100 % telling you , I knew nothing , and that 's that , '' he says in response . Wife confronts him , says he would n't have been able to keep secret from her or Woods ' wife . Williams says he would not have kept scandal secret just to protect his wife .