Should we accept Mayweather’s apology?
In light of a first UStream video that inspired a flurry of criticism, Floyd Mayweather Jr. produced a second this weekend in which he apologized for comments made about seven-division titlist Manny Pacquiao. If the first video indicated that Mayweather cared just a little about a potential Pacquiao fight that has been consuming headlines for the better part of two years, the second indicates he felt the wrath of the boxing public and may have to think first before senselessly uploading in the future.
At the time the first video was uploaded, Pacquiao was knee deep in a week long promotional tour for his upcoming 13 November bout against Antonio Margarito. The bout is set to be at the Cowboys Stadium and anticipates some 70,000 fans. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, decided on the fight after Mayweather refused to respond to earlier statements that Pacquiao would accept his terms for a fight.
The video for which Mayweather apologized featured “Money” saying he would “kick that little midget’s a*s in the ring,” and referred to the Filipino Pacquiao as “yellow” and a “dog.” Mayweather also implied that Pacquiao was using performance enhancing drugs and insulted his capacity to enter into successful business arrangements. “He signed a contract with Nike for $60,000,” Mayweather said. “How stupid can a m----- f----- be?”
In his apology, Mayweather said: “I do want to apologize for what happened the other night. I want to apologize to everybody because everybody thought it was a racist comment that I said. I don’t have a racist bone in my body. If anybody was affected from that I said the other day, I apologize as a man. I was just having fun. I didn’t really mean it.”
Although Mayweather may not have a racist bone in his body, his comments shocked much of the boxing world, and analysts today are still wondering why one of boxing’s various sanctioning bodies or the promotional-big players haven’t slapped a fine on Mayweather. Not just that, but Mayweather, who bragged in the same video about being endorsed by Reebok, hasn’t appeared to have lost any endorsement deals on account of his comments.
If LeBron James uploaded a similar video in which he insulted Kevin Garnett or another basketball star in a similar fashion, there would be no doubt about it: David Stern would hit him with a substantial fine, and maybe even a suspension. He would also be subject to losing endorsement deals, just as Tiger Woods did as a result of his affairs becoming known to the public.
One question that remains is whether we should take Mayweather at his word, or consider his apology as just the latest spam he’s decided to throw to the media. It’s obvious that he felt the need to retract his comments with the apology, but should we feel the need to accept it?
That kind of deed might come from Pacquiao fans, who emulate the magnanimity and fairness demonstrated by Pacman. But accepting Mayweather’s apology as sincere is especially difficult when he says his first video was just for fun, and that “he didn’t really mean it.” This is a terrible excuse, and one all big sports personalities should seek to avoid. Having fun doesn’t absolve someone from the responsibility they have to the sports world and to the public, and it certainly shouldn’t absolve Mayweather.
What these two recent videos seem to really say is that, if Mayweather really is the best fighter in the world, he’s even beginning not to believe it. How else to account for all of the insistence on being the best, and none of the action to back it up?
Perhaps the best apology to Pacquiao and the fans would be for Mayweather to step into the ring with Pacman and give him a chance to account for himself there. Until then Mayweather is just sitting on the sidelines and hurting his credibility, apology or not.
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