I would like to apologize for my poor choice of words used during the taping of the 2011 GEICO PBA Team Shootout which will air on ESPN over the next couple of weekends. I would like everyone to know that this is not the type of image I want to portray as a professional bowler.
As for what happened, it is important to note that I stepped off the approach twice during the match against Jason Belmonte because I could easily hear the water bottle crunching. For the first water bottle crunching, I did not acknowledge the distraction, but after the second incident, I felt that it was more than coincidental and had to call him out on his unusual gamesmanship. The fact is that Jason has been warned before about his untimely bottle crunching, and I did not appreciate that he had not learned from his past actions and was continuing this tactic against me.
While I do apologize for my choice of language, I do not apologize for my actions on calling out Belmonte. In the heat of the moment, the words came out well before I could even think about what I was going to say. I can assure you that I will most certainly call out Belmonte or any other player who tries to use these unprofessional tactics against me in the future, but I will be sure to use a better choice of words.
While I have a great deal of respect for Belmonte as a fellow competitor, the fact is that he is still my competition on the PBA Tour, and bowling is a sport with intense competition. When I step onto the lanes, friendships are set aside. This is our chosen profession and our livelihood, and at times, things get heated.
As for how things are between Jason and I, let’s just say that we will settle it on the lanes.
Sincerely,
Sean Rash
No, I don't think he needed to apologize. As he writes, "...bowling is a sport with intense competition." That's true, and what he said was in the heat of competition. I've never seen a player in another sport apologize for poor language on a field or rink or court (at least not language this mundane).
ReplyDeleteI also think if he truly wanted to apologize, he should've ended it after the first paragraph. By going in-depth as he did, it's more of a defense than an apology and in that case, what's the point? By not addressing Belmonte at all, he would've been making a statement with his silence that he doesn't agree with the situation.
However, I do like a lot of the things he said about the PBA Tour being intense competition and settling things on the lanes. This unneeded apology doesn't seem like the place for it, though.
In convoluted summary, I don't think he needed to say anything, but he said too much for what he was trying to say, but the too much was actually good stuff.
Sean has been invited to join us via the above 180 podcast if he would like to discuss this in depth.
ReplyDeleteTim Burg
co-host Above180.com podcast
ps..Steve keep up the great work
Tim, I hope he goes on your show. If he does, I'll be listening. By the way, I'll be seeing him tomorrow at a bowling clinic he's coaching. My game needs all the help it can get. Dr. Dean Hinitz will be there too. Maybe Sean should work with him a little. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI love your website and podcasts, and I'm going to be giving both a lot more coverage.