Apologies

On Tuesday, Bears’ offensive lineman Kyle Long apologized for a fight he got into at practice last week with rookie defensive end Jalen Dalton.  If only life imitated sports like this all the time.

“Obviously, what I did was absolutely unacceptable,” Long told reporters after practice.  “As a human being, as a teammate, without question what I did was uncalled for and absolutely so far over the line that it was on me to handle that internally and speak to the people that I needed to speak to.  I’ve done that.”  In case anyone was wondering, Long also said, “It was wrong what I did.”  That’s what you call owning up.

The Long story went in the back of the Sun-Times.  On the front page was news of a different sort, of a just-released report on the conduct of Tim Mapes, longtime chief of staff for Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.  The report found that, “The number of independently verified instances of Mr. Mapes’ derogatory behavior was overwhelming.”  The report also noted a belief—justified, I’d say—that “Mapes attempted to motivate workers through fear and that a few other supervisors emulated this practice” and a second belief—again, justified in my book—that Mapes could “make or break” careers in Springfield.

And how did Mr. Mapes’ respond?  “I had many responsibilities that I took on in order to make the speaker’s office more efficient and effective.  If my demeanor or approach to my job did not instill trust and a healthy work environment, I apologize.”  That “if” makes it a non-apology.

At 6’6” and 335 pounds, Kyle Long is a giant of a human being.  Tim Mapes comes across more as someone who would struggle under the weight of a pocket protector.  The big man acted big and the little man small, no “if’s” about it.