Dear Robbie:
To borrow a phrase from Jay Leno, when he once interrogated actor Hugh Grant about straying from Elizabeth Hurley for a dalliance with a prostitute…what the hell were you thinking?
It’s one thing to be arrogant enough to think you could pull a fast one on MLB drug testers, but your ham-handed denial that you broke the rules took it over the top. In my book, the cover-up is as bad as the crime. You tried to gain an unfair advantage over other players…you cheated, plain and simple. You got caught, and instead of admitting that you screwed up and asking for understanding and forgiveness from the fans, you insulted our collective intelligence by lying about it and hoping we would all believe it.
Sorry, but no. When you’re making $24 million a year playing a sport that most mortals could only dream about, you cannot expect anyone to believe that you simply didn’t know you were breaking the rules. Your body and athletic prowess are what have made you a millionaire many times over – I’m not buying that you just “didn’t know.” And even in the unlikely event that’s true, then shame on you for not knowing. Ignorance does not absolve you of this crime.
I get the motivation for wanting to prolong your career as long as possible. You have several years left on a contract that is paying you a king’s ransom, so it’s understandable you’d want to do everything possible to stay in peak playing condition. But there’s a right way to do that and a wrong way. You chose the wrong path. And in so doing, you probably killed your chances of ever getting to the Hall of Fame, you destroyed fans’ faith in you, and you damaged the team’s chances of breaking an agonizingly long playoff drought.
Instead of the statement you put out, here is what I wish you had said:
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To every fan, teammate, coach and employee of the Seattle Mariners baseball team, I would like to say that I’m sorry. I made a serious mistake and knowingly broke the rules. Equally bad, I broke the trust you have placed in me. I wish I could roll back the tape and undo the mistakes and decisions I made that led me to this place. But I can’t. What I want everyone to know is that as bad as my decision involving PEDs was, I did it because I wanted to be the best, most productive player I could possibly be to help the Mariners make the playoffs. My intent was pure, but my methods were 100% wrong. What I can tell you now is that I will serve my suspension without complaint and try to get clean and healthy enough when it is over to help the Mariners in August when I am eligible to return. Even though I can’t play in the post-season, I would like nothing more than to try and earn your trust back and help the Mariners get to the playoffs. If that is the case, it will kill me to not be on the field, but I broke the rules and now must pay the price.
I know many of you will never forgive me for what I’ve done. I understand that, and I hold no animosity if that is the case. Every person needs to choose the path that is right for them. For those who will open their hearts and give me a second chance, I promise to never make this mistake again and work as hard as I can every day, every game, every ground ball, every at-bat to repay the trust you have placed in me.
Sincerely, and with humility,
Robinson Cano
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If only you had said something like that, Robbie.
As it stands, I haven’t decided what to make of you going forward. I’ll reserve that decision based on how you conduct yourself over the next three months and what your attitude is like on and off the field once you return. Like most fans, I am quick to judge but also quick to forgive.
Until then, the jury is out. I’m sorry you blew your chance to make it to the HoF, but at this point you have even bigger issues to contend with, first among them trying to become player that fans and teammates can once again be proud of.
