Delmon Young did some major damage control on Friday, the same day his 7-day suspension ended for an arrest related to a drunken incident in New York where the Tigers outfielder allegedly made anti-Semitic remarks. Young met with a Detroit-area rabbi to improve his relations with the Jewish community, and he apologized before his team’s game on Friday.
“I’d just like to apologize to everybody,” Young said. “I put myself in a bad situation and I have no one to blame but myself.
“I made a lapse in judgment, but I can tell you that I am not an anti-Semitic,” he said.
The Tigers, in a clear attempt to improve the image of Young and the team, set up the meeting with the rabbi, who is also a longtime baseball fan and Tigers season-ticket holder. The rabbi seemed convinced that Young was genuine.
“In speaking to Delmon I find him to be sincere, contrite and remorseful of the way things played out in regard to the incident, in terms of the impact on the team, the fans, the Jewish community, and the community at-large,” Rabbi Joshua Bennett said, per The Detroit News.
“Although this will take some time, and his actions ultimately will prove what he says, Jewish tradition teaches me that everyone deserves a chance to learn from a mistake and to grow as a person.
“So, while I can not speak to exactly what occurred, I accepted his apology and appreciate his humanness.”
It’s hard to believe that Young has changed so much in seven days, but it’s possible the public beating he’s received made him realize the error of his ways. I do know one thing: I disagree with older brother Dmitri, who claimed some of the blame for the incident.
H/T Hardball Talk
