It was a swing and a miss — so where did A-Rod go wrong?
When the disgraced slugger issued his ill-receieved apology to fans for his PED use yesterday, he whiffed by failing to observe a few important maxims of the mea culpa, say experts.
Strike one, he focused more on himself than the people he hurt — a major no-no when you’re saying sorry, said Rutgers sociology professor Karen Cerulo, who studies apologies.
She’s shocked at how many public figures don’t get this seemingly obvious point.
“Person after person falls into the same trap of elevating their own feelings and motives over those they have offended,” she told the Daily News.
It’s what Brian Williams did when he apologized on-air this month for “misremembering” his experiences in Iraq.
“He forwarded rationalizations for his actions and insight into his intentions,” Cerulo said. “My research shows that such an approach is rarely successful.”
Strike two, A-Rod failed to follow another key rule: “To offer a sincere apology, you must not be defensive or self-pitying,” said Dorothy Crenshaw, CEO of PR firm Crenshaw Communications.
Instead, Rodriguez whined in his letter about his lengthy suspension from baseball.
And — strike three! — his note almost skipped over the reason for its existence in the first place: Rodriguez’s only mention of steroid use is buried deep in the third paragraph.
This goes against the four pillars of a good apology, in the eyes of Daryl McCullough, the CEO of PR fim Citizen Relations: It has to be “swift, truthful, complete and contrite.”
But all hope isn’t lost for the tainted third-baseman.
Celebrity image consultant Howard Bragman commended Rodriguez for saying in his opening line that he took “full responsibility” for his actions.
“The bad (apologies) are the ones that equivocate,” said Bragman, who touted Jonah Hill and Tracy Morgan as examples of celebs who’ve mastered the art of groveling. Both stars have landed in hot water for offensive remarks, but both apologized effusively — and immediately.
Rodriguez made a smart move by choosing to avoid the media circus at spring training and instead do an exclusive interview with ESPN the Magazine, said Crenshaw. It allowed him to “have more control over the outcome, but still be credible” she said.
Lance Armstrong took that approach when he shared his story exclusively with Oprah Winfrey, though his approach failed because “he showed absolutely no remorse or any emotion at all,” she said.
Despite the missteps, Crenshaw gave Rodriguez points for going with a handwritten letter and taking responsibility “to the extent that any lawyer would let him.”
Rodriguez’s reputation will be in shambles when he returns to the field this season, so the note was his way to “try to avoid — or at least delay — entering the fray,” Crenshaw said, “and I understand that decision.”
