Atlanta , Georgia ( CNN ) -- Tiger Woods ' comments Friday may become the most scrutinized apology in history , fodder for dinner tables and Internet chat rooms alike : Was he genuine ? Was it a PR stunt ? Can he do anything to restore people 's faith in him ? The biggest knock on golf 's biggest star is that it took him three months to utter any words publicly about his infidelity and then did so in a controlled environment . That 's a no-no , according to apology etiquette . `` If you have to take time to say 'sorry , ' you 're not being authentic . We do n't need extra time to rationalize whether we 're sorry or not , '' said Glenn Llopis , the founder of the Center for Innovation & Humanity , a California-based think tank . It seems everyone is apologizing for everything these days . In February alone , there has been a bevy of `` I 'm sorries , '' from a tearful John Mayer for his use of the n-word to Toyota 's top boss for the automaker 's repeated shortcomings . But do apologies still carry weight , or does the flood of mea culpas dilute their meaning ? Lauren Bloom , a business ethics expert and the author of `` The Art of the Apology , '' says , `` It 's never too late to say ' I 'm sorry . ' `` But saying ' I 'm sorry ' in a tightly controlled environment , '' she says , `` makes it look more and more like an exercise in 'let 's check the box and do what my PR people tell me to do . ' `` Woods delivered his apology in front of a small hand-picked crowd that was not allowed to ask questions . `` I was unfaithful . I had affairs . I cheated , '' he said . `` I am the only person to blame . '' Read full story about Woods ' apology . How would Bloom rate Woods ' authenticity ? `` I thought he was very authentic , '' she said , adding with a laugh , `` He was most authentic when he was attacking the media . '' `` But I think he was very sincere . I think he had a very tough thing to say today , and he sucked it up and did well . '' Bloom has six essentials to an effective apology : Say sorry sincerely ; take responsibility ; make amends ; express appreciation to fans and friends who have stuck by you ; listen to the people affected by your actions ; and do better next time . `` He did pretty well . He checked all the boxes , '' she said . `` We now have got to see changed behavior . ... I hope he follows through on it . I think America would love to welcome him back . '' Watch Tiger Woods ' apology . Bloom says the importance of an apology should n't be overlooked . There was a time , she says , when people viewed apologizing for your actions as weak . That perception has since changed , because Americans now recognize that people are inherently flawed . `` Folks are starting to wake up to that , '' she said . `` Most of the time , people are ready to forgive and forget . '' Who has given an effective public apology ? She says actor Hugh Grant , who hit the talk show circuit immediately after his infamous encounter with a prostitute in 1995 . A bad apology ? John Edwards , according to Bloom . `` Serial apologies , '' she says , `` they never work . '' In his apology , Woods said that he had undergone 45 days of in-patient treatment and that he would return to therapy Saturday . `` I have a long way to go , but I 've taken my first steps , '' Woods said . `` I need to regain my balance and be centered . '' Therapist Gregory Jantz , who has treated sex addiction for 25 years , says relapse is common . His Seattle-based facility has seen only a 5 percent `` full recovery '' of addicts . `` This is not a go-into-rehab-and-be-finished type of addiction . '' An apology is important and a good step in the recovery process , Jantz says , but from a therapist 's standpoint , it was important to hear him say : `` Not only did I goof up , but I need ongoing help . '' As for Llopis , he says Woods might 've won some people over . `` He did a fairly good attempt to capture the heart , but is he forgiven for what he 's done ? No , '' he said . `` There 's nothing he can say in my book , '' he added , `` that would make me view him as authentic and genuine and human again . ''
`` If you have to take time to say 'sorry , ' you 're not being authentic , '' ethicist says . Comment: `` I 'm sorry '' in February . Society needs apologies , but `` serial apologies ... never work , '' business ethics expert says .