What will inevitably be an issue that will not get much publicity are Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus‘ comments
on how he will deal with the team going through a slump. He made the regrettable choice to utter a phrase that was not funny and he knew it, immediately apologizing afterwards:
When asked about his mood when he returns home after a Tigers’ loss during their recent slump, Ausmus jokingly quipped: “I beat my wife.”
“I’m just kidding,” he quickly clarified before offering up a serious response.
“Luckily, my wife and kids are fantastic,” he said. “I do get a little mopey at home, but my wife and kids are good. They’ve seen me be in a bad mood after a loss. They’ve been great.”
About a minute later, Ausmus returned to the topic and offered an apology.
“I didn’t want to make light of battered women,” Ausmus said. “I didn’t mean to make light of it, so I apologize if that offended anyone. Next question. Sorry.”
While I’m glad Ausmus apologized right away, I am a little bothered by one of his last statements, “I apologize if that offended anyone.” Again, not the perfect words even in a time when Ausmus appeared to be remorseful. A 2011 tweet from this account with some vulgar language in its profile name I think summarizes my thoughts on that statement nicely:
“I’m sorry if you were offended” is not an apology and in fact requires a new, additional apology in itself
— Asshole Wizard Horse (@TerribleHorse) July 11, 2011
It would be good on Ausmus to apologize again, and I think to announce he’s made some sort of time commitment to helping a cause that supports women that have fallen victim to domestic violence, which he says he plans on doing. This is a quote that I expect to be swept under the rug by MLB, as Ausmus’ quick apology has probably saved him from any punishment that costs him time and/or money from the Tigers. Any sort of action would be a sign of progress, especially after we had to deal with the awful press conference that saw Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice’s partner apologizing for her role in Ray Rice dragging her by her hair on the ground. The shameful acts of domestic abuse are hopefully getting more attention and will be considered for grander penalties, but I feel the sporting organizations are moving rather slowly on this. It would be nice if MLB took a stand here and made an example of Ausmus, but I don’t see it happening. Opinions from around the internet from people with larger follower counts, starting with ESPN’s Keith Law, with some strong words:
I can’t imagine what kind of psychopath you have to be to even *think* about joking about beating your wife. — keithlaw (@keithlaw) June 19, 2014
The word “psychopath” is what’s getting a lot of attention. The next tweet with “DN” stands for “Detroit News.”
DN: But didn’t you liken Ausmus to a “psychopath”? “I don’t see where I did that,” Keith Law told The News umm… https://t.co/b0Sg2MABvq
— Denny Kapp (@DennyKapp) June 19, 2014
Dan Szymborski threw out this message, and felt the public was going through an overreaction.
I’m not saying Ausmus’s joke was tasteful or proper (or original or even good), but the offense taken here is grossly disproportionate. — Dan Szymborski (@DSzymborski) June 19, 2014
I think issues where people are being physically abused that have a history of being ignored should get a lot of attention.
@emmaspan As someone noted, Ausmus’s inappropriate joke has gotten more attention than many athletes *actual* domestic assaults.
— Dan Szymborski (@DSzymborski) June 19, 2014
@DSzymborski Well then I’m sure I can count on you to make a big deal about the inevitable next one.
— Emma Span (@emmaspan) June 19, 2014
I didn’t like Szymborski’s use of metaphors in his conversation with others, and thought Emma Span was fantastic in the conversation between the two. Predictably, there have been people that have thrown names at him as a result of making an observation about the proportion of a response that came off to me as, “Is this really that huge of a deal?”
In the end, I am glad Ausmus apologized for his comments, and that he plans to do some work for an advocacy group. I would like to see MLB step up to make a statement and hopefully throw some punishment on Ausmus as an example to others that this will not be tolerated. However, I will not expect anything to happen from MLB’s side of business.
