And we see the second part of the pattern typical when someone famous gets enmeshed in a big scandal or suffers major foot-in-mouth disease: LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling, after banned for life from the NBA and fined $2.5 million, has gone on CNN’s Anderson Cooper’s program to issue a profuse apology. He has made it clear he doesn’t intend to sell the team and this could be taken as 100 percent apology or 50 percent apology and 50 percent move to strengthen his legal battle to maintain ownership of the team:
“I’m a good member who made a mistake and I’m apologizing and I’m asking for forgiveness,” stated Donald Sterling in an interview with Anderson Cooper.
Cooper managed to land a sit-down with the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. The interview will air Monday on CNN.
Sterling, who was caught on a recording making racist comments during a conversation with his girlfriend V. Stiviano, told Cooper, “I’m not a racist.” He continued, “I made a terrible mistake. I’m here to apologize.”
“Am I entitled to one mistake, am I after 35 years? I mean, I love my league, I love my partners. Am I entitled to one mistake? It’s a terrible mistake, and I’ll never do it again,” said Sterling.
Twitter rages:
The impossible has happened: I am more disgusted with Donald and Shelley Sterling this week than I was last week.
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) May 12, 2014
Racist Donald Sterling: "I am not a racist" http://t.co/DhscJSiTfe
— Gawker (@Gawker) May 12, 2014
So sorry about
Offensive stuff and whatnot
Give me team back now
– Donald Sterling
#haiku
— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) May 12, 2014
LeBron James says NBA players don't want anyone from Donald Sterling's family involved in owning the Clippers. http://t.co/WVI6ejVVQQ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 11, 2014
Good that he's asking for forgiveness. But someone should tell Donald Sterling that it isn't Motherf*ckers Day.
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) May 11, 2014
Donald Sterling apologizes and says he will never do it again. Vows to keep all of his racism and prejudice deep inside like the rest of us.
— Adam Wolf (@AdamWolf77) May 12, 2014
@TonyinOKC Sterling's taken a page of the Fallin Non-Apology Apology Playbook.
— Okie Bowl (MKG) (@okiebowl) May 12, 2014
no one gives a damn about donald sterling's "apology." it'd be best for him to find a small island to go live out the rest of his life on.
— H$ (@holden_hill) May 12, 2014
@SportsCenter I'm not defending Sterling's actions, but if nobody accepts his apology, are all of you ok with no forgiveness when wrong?
— jqs (@jarvisquick) May 12, 2014
No one wants to hear Sterling's apology. If he actually cared & was genuine, he would've came out w/ one immediately after it happened.
— Sister Bernice (@SheTweets2Much) May 12, 2014
stop calling Donald Sterling's backtracking an "apology" y'all can't see damage control?
— Umi's Son (@HughJunior89) May 12, 2014
Does Sterling's apology make all the bleeding hearts feel better? Meanwhile 2 gay men are eating cake off each other in national TV #nba
— Shannon Catoe (@shannoncatoe) May 12, 2014
Donald Sterling's apology really touched my heart. I swear these old white rich racists are so endearing. I blame Pat Buchanan.
— Michael Spam (@NFLGoodwitch) May 11, 2014
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.