Philadelphia Phillies pitcher José Alvarado was suspended from play May 18 after testing positive for a banned substance. He finally released an apology on Tuesday. The effort was not only disappointing, it reminded us of another disappointing mea culpa from another baseball big, Alex Rodriguez, a decade ago.

Alvarado released his apology on his Instagram. The very first sentence is a misstep: “May 18th was a very difficult day for me.” Here’s the thing about an apology: It’s not about you. It’s about the people you’ve let down: your organization, your teammates, your fans. Apologies aren’t for expressing self-pity.

Then there’s the lack of clarity. Alvarado goes on to say he knew using performance-enhancing substances was wrong and “I would never intend to do so.” Is he saying he took the substance by mistake? He doesn’t clarify. Alvarado tested positive for exogenous testosterone. Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, said the pitcher took a weight-loss drug that he didn’t realize would cause a positive test.

Maybe.

Facing Consequences

Moving on. A true apology names the offense and owns up. The way Alvarado takes a stab at ownership is problematic. “I made a mistake and, therefore, I have faced the consequences set forth by the MLB,” he writes. Again, this comes off as an inappropriate expression of self-pity.

News reports note that Alvarado may have broken his silence on his 80-game suspension because he was allowed to return to the stadium on Tuesday (though he can’t play until Aug. 19) and could face reporters’ questioning.

“This statement comes in advance of him likely meeting with the media that covers the team,” On Pattison Managing Editor Tim Kelly wrote in his article. “If Alvarado answers questions, he will have to explain why he’s to be believed that he didn’t purposely take a PED, and why he didn’t check with the Phillies before taking the drug that ultimately got him flagged.”

The lesson here is that an apology (or statement or press release) shouldn’t raise more questions than it answers. That’s a short-coming of Alvarado’s efforts.

A-Rod Apology

All of this reminds us of A-Rod’s apology in February 2015 after his 211-game suspension for steroid use the previous year, an apology we parse in our new book, Sports Crisis Communications: Cases and Controversy.

Similar to Alvarado, Rodriguez issued his mea culpa at an opportune time: the start of spring training, when he would have to meet the press. In his statement, he apologized profusely but never really said what he was apologizing for. Again, vagueness isn’t a positive in an apology.

A-Rod’s effort was laced with self-pity similar to Alvarado’s. “I served the longest suspension in the history of the League for PED use,” the former Yankee wrote in the only mention of his infraction. “The Commissioner has said the matter is over. The Players Association has said the same. The Yankees have said the next step is to play baseball.”

At the time, the public found A-Rod’s apology to be lackluster. Haven’t we learned anything?

Photo Credit: Adam McCullough/Shutterstock

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