We’ve all said things that we wished we had not said.
For most of us, however, we make those comments relatively privately.
For someone in the public eye, words can come back at you very quickly.
Kevin Garnett of the NBA Minnesota Timberwolves had that experience very recently. After Game 6 of the Western Conference semi-final against the Sacramento Kings, Garnett – no doubt feeling the rising intensity and physical nature of the series – told reporters: “This is it. This is for all the marbles. I’m sitting in the house loading up the pump; I’m loading up the Uzis and the M-16s. I’m ready for war.”
Given the very real war-like conditions that many sadly experience daily – including, of course, many Americans in Iraq in recent months – Garnett’s comments offended many.
But after huddling with team officials, Garnett made a full and evidently genuine apology for his comments the very next day, saying, “I’m a young man and I understand when I’m appropriate and this is totally inappropriate. I was totally thinking about basketball, not reality.”
We all recall that in the days and weeks following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, many media commentators made a point of saying how inappropriate it is to speak of athletes as ‘warriors’, and of sporting events in terms of “going to war”. Though such references had been made routinely for years, especially in the physically demanding world of professional football, they seemed out of place and out of touch in a world touched by such a horrific event, and the very real “war” that was sure to follow.
But before too long, comedians began taking liberties, using the tragic events of 9-11 as fodder for jokes. Eventually the sports pages were filled again with references to athletes as warriors.
It’s not that people forgot about 9-11. Perhaps old habits are easy to pick up again.
Against this backdrop, it’s not stunning that an athlete, particularly a young one such as Garnett, would plunge headlong into a diatribe about weapons and war in the ‘heat of battle’.
Athletes are often criticized, justifiably so at times, for an apparent lack of perspective. Many high-profile performers live a ‘fishbowl’ existence, and it can be demanding and difficult. When they fail in the eyes of the public, how they react and respond usually determines whether their “image” is tarnished beyond repair.
In this instance, that Garnett quickly recognized – and then publicly acknowledged his momentary lapse in judgment – is laudable, and sets a good example for others to follow.
