Tag: Alex Rodriguez

When is an apology not enough?

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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?
  3. 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.

Lessons from A-Rod’s Shattered Reputation

Remember when Alex Rodriguez was famous for being the highest-paid player in baseball history? The debate wasn’t whether he was a great player; it was whether he deserved more than $250 million a year. Now, instead of heading to Cooperstown, the Yankee shortstop joins the long list of professional athletes who used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) and lied about it.

We often talk about the “3Vs” frame for crisis stories, named for the three roles the media typically assign – a Villain, a Victim and a Vindicator. For years, A-Rod tried to portray himself as a “Victim,” even though it’s hard to feel sorry for someone who makes that kind of money, regardless of how he performs. Most Yankee fans remember how badly he performed in the 2012 playoffs, and he spent the entire 2014 season suspended for his role in the doping scandal. A-Rod denied the accusations and contested the suspension.

Now we learn that, when the DEA granted immunity from prosecution, Rodriguez admitted to using PEDs. In fact, he told them in January but continued to deny it publicly. A-Rod has been lying for years. His denials were vehement in 2007, when the Mitchell Report came out. Then two years later, he admitted using while playing for the Rangers. Then he went back to denying – and not just denying, but he attacked his accusers. He filed lawsuits against Major League Baseball and Commissioner Bud Selig, accusing them of trying to destroy his reputation and his career. He even sued his doctors and hospital. (He eventually dropped the lawsuits.)

A-Rod didn’t need help destroying his reputation. He did it entirely on his own. He is clearly not a Victim, but a Villain. Villains do not tell the truth and they try to blame others. Just like Lance Armstrong – who denied and attacked, before finally admitting the truth – Rodriguez has absolutely no credibility. He was suspended all last season and is eligible to return in the spring, but many Yankee fans don’t want him back – even though the Yankees still owe millions of dollars on his contract. How’s that for a shattered reputation?

Remember, to preserve your reputation, you must tell the truth.