Earlier this week, Alex Rodriguez issued a handwritten apology to Yankees fans for “mistakes that led to my suspension for the 2014 season.” This, of course, comes after A-Rod lied for years about using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), attacked those who claimed otherwise, and filed lawsuits against his own team physician, a New York hospital, Major League Baseball and Commissioner Bud Selig. His aggressive tactics did not endear him to fans any more than his inability to get clutch hits during recent post-season play.
A-Rod’s “apology” comes as pitchers and catchers report for spring training and he looks to return to Yankee Stadium. At 39 years old, and after being suspended all last season, most baseball fans are skeptical and many Yankee fans wish he would just go away. But the Yankees still owe him $61 million on a 10-year, $275 million contract.
Should we be relieved that, finally, after all these years, A-Rod says he’s sorry? Will fans forgive and move on? Not a chance – and here’s why:
- The apology is too little too late. It’s hard to forgive someone who has lied for years and attacked others when they called him on it. And, once again, he can’t resist playing the “Victim” card by pointing out that he served the longest suspension in league history. A-Rod is not a Victim and his attempts to claim that role negate his efforts to apologize.
- While he says he “takes full responsibility” for his “mistakes,” he doesn’t even say what those mistakes are. Is he sorry he got caught or that he used PEDs? That he sued those who tried to help him? Or even that he was suspended last season?
- He says he wants to “put this chapter behind me and play some ball” – and the implication here is that fans should, too. But it’s not that easy. Fans had great expectations of A-Rod, reflected in a contract that at one time made him the highest-paid player in the game. Fans who were let down year after year are not likely to forgive and cheer his return.
An apology is absolutely appropriate – and essential – when you do something wrong. But that apology has to be timely, it has to be genuine, and it has to include a commitment to fixing whatever it was you did wrong.
When baseball season finally opens (and it can’t come soon enough!), the Yankees will likely start Chase Headley at third base, while a player with a very expensive contract and a terrible reputation watches from the dugout.
