There's Your Karma, Ripe As Peaches

Why Isn't Hardaway In Rehab Yet?

I was wondering if you could help me understand something -- what is the point of the celebrity apology? It's not remotely valid and most people dismiss it as such but we still demand it. Why? After a person exposes him or herself as an ignorant bigot, there is no stuffing the cat back in the bag. Does the apology make us feel better? Is there proof that it actually improves a situation? Is someone out there actually learning a lesson beyond "I'd better not tell people what I really think!"

We've been bombarded by the news and resulting outrage of Tim Hardaway's arbitrary bigotry and intolerance since late Wednesday night. He hates homosexuals. He hates the idea of them. Not only does he want them kept far away from himself and his team, but he also thinks they shouldn't be in the world OR the United States.

That's a pretty ironic stance for a bloke named Hardaway with crossover "skeels" that spent six years in the Bay Area before choosing to live every year since in South Beach... a homophobe deciding on the gay capitals of America as the best places to live and work makes about as much sense as a neo-Nazi seeking out the good life in Skokie, Illinois... Judging by the looks of his wife, you really couldn't blame him... but moving on...

A few hours after his interview with Dan LeBetard, Hardaway dropped this non-apology/diversion attempt on a radio station:

"Yes, I regret it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said I hate gay people, or anything like that. That was my mistake... There are more important things to worry about than my comments. We should be more concerned about President (George) Bush and all the people dying in Iraq."

So over the course of maybe four hours, Hardaway admits to being a homophobic cunt and then reinforces his comments by essentially saying, "I still hate the gays but I kinda regret telling everybody... but... uh... George Bush! *runs away*" While that really ought to be enough (he couldn't be in a deeper hole), people were still asking for an apology. For what purpose? He was honest about being a rotten, vile fuck and now we want him to take it back as if that will help cushion the blow. Enter the agent, stepping in 18 hours later to give Timmy a sudden moment of clarity -- a moment of impressively articulate clarity:

"As an African-American, I know all too well the negative thoughts and feelings hatred and bigotry cause. I regret and apologize for the statements that I made that have certainly caused the same kinds of feelings and reactions. I especially apologize to my fans, friends and family in Miami and Chicago. I am committed to examining my feelings and will recognize, appreciate and respect the differences among people in our society. I regret any embarrassment I have caused the league on the eve of one of their greatest annual events."

Who is buying into that garbage? Listen to the guy -- he's not articulate enough to order a fucking pizza without a cheat sheet and yet here he is a day later talking about knowing "all too well the negative thoughts" and examining feelings. Tim Hardaway can't spell bigotry let alone use it in a grammatically correct sentence but there are mental defectives out there saying, "I knew Timmy Hardaway was a good guy! I knew he didn't mean it. He's a stand-up guy apologizing like that!" To make matters worse, there are others commenting about how "that's a good place to start."
 
Where are these people and why can't we shoot them?

He is not a stand up guy and there is no good place to start. Tim Hardaway is an unapologetic bigot with an agent trying to run damage control. He's not sorry he feels that way; he's sorry he ran his mouth in front of an on-air ESPN personality. What does it help to hear/read his words of regret (as penned by one of the interns working for his agent)? And if it doesn't help, why issue an apology at all? It's not as if "well it's the nice thing to do" really applies at this point... I just don't get it.

Posted at February 16, 2007 6:02 AM

Comments (8): Why Isn't Hardaway In Rehab Yet?

Toxic	February 16, 2007 8:50 AM
	One has to wonder with his first comments if it's not a case of the "lady doth protest too much" methinks.

Rich	February 16, 2007 9:14 AM
	Wow, Timmah seems to do very badly without handlers. The interviews he's done should tell people that he probably doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. Stern banned him from the All-Star Weekend, but you know he'll show up in some form, at least. Of course, very unrepentant like the moron he is.

Tree

February 16, 2007 3:22 PM

I'll give Hardaway credit, I always complain about people being too PC. Well he kicked in the door to PC and sprayed the room with homophobic bullets. I'm not sure if I saw a more complete version of his apology then you have quoted, but according to the news he ended it with "My Bad" which is hysterical. "Yo dawg sorry I was talking all that wreck about fags. I'm mad sorry. Holla" I would of bought his apology more if he said he thought Dan LaBastard was talking about Rudy Gay, and thats who he was going after.

Patrick Houlihan	February 16, 2007 5:41 PM
	I agree with you. He was honest with his first comments; there's no backtracking now. The canned apology just deepens the insult in almost all of these situations.

AJ	February 17, 2007 2:44 PM
	He's covering up. No one goes off like that without some serious hidden issues.

TJ Gray	February 18, 2007 2:48 AM
	That's the thing though, hollow or not his apology is important because it shows that he can't just say horrible stuff and walk away like it was no thing. The apology at least does a little bit to hold pieces of shit like this guy accountable.

Hadrian	February 18, 2007 12:01 PM
	Considering the post following this one, maybe David Robinson wrote his official apology :)

Adam Castro	February 18, 2007 2:05 PM
	I love Hardaway's newest comments about praying about it and the Lord seeing him through this tough time. What a joke.

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