Today, we congratulate an athlete for their ability to sign an apology a publicist wrote on their behalf.
Wait, no. Here’s why Cam Janssen’s apology is a load of wank.
So he went on a radio show and thought it’d be a good time to bust out some homophobic language. So today was the day to clean up the mess. The usual phrases were batted around and regret was expressed. Janssen will apparently be involved with You Can Play.
I know people have it in them to change and have a “come to Jesus” moment as I call them (despite being so far from religious). Hey, I love a good story of redemption and learning from past mistakes to become a better person. The problem with Janssen is this is all so effing orchestrated I can see the moves. He’s doing the “I’m Totally Sorry I Said That Thing” press tour. No one talks like that when they are apologizing except those in public relations. Normal people (and hockey players) do not converse in that manner.
In theory it should be a good thing that Janssen is joining You Can Play. But he didn’t come to this decision on his own. He pissed people off and now he’s trying to put bandages on the bloody mess he created. These are just hollow and empty gestures and it’s predictable. It’s why I’m disappointed. And I don’t want YCP to become the program where athletes have ran their mouth go to serve time, so to speak.
Janssen should have had to actually speak on the matter and apologize. I don’t care if he’d have had media coaching for that appearance but it would be him owning up to his words to fix things. Releasing a letter is just passive. I’m willing to be more forgiving of Janssen if he steps up and makes an effort. If he speaks about his missteps on his own, awesome.
For now, this is just a circus.
