Dennis Rodman’s bizarre relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jung Un has been well-documented over the past year. Earlier this week, the former Chicago Bulls star implied that captive American missionary Kenneth Bae is at fault for his arrest. Rodman apologized for those comments on Thursday.
“I want to apologize,” Rodman said, via the Associated Press. “I take full responsibility for my actions. It had been a very stressful day. Some of my teammates were leaving because of pressure from their families and business associates. My dreams of basketball diplomacy was quickly falling apart. I had been drinking. It’s not an excuse but by the time the interview happened I was upset. I was overwhelmed. It’s not an excuse, it’s just the truth.
“I want to first apologize to Kenneth Bae’s family. I want to apologize to my teammates and my management team. I also want to apologize to Chris Cuomo. I embarrassed a lot of people. I’m very sorry. At this point I should know better than to make political statements. I’m truly sorry.”
Rodman has been criticized for not using his influence to help free Bae, who is in poor health and has been detained for “anti-state” crimes and allegedly devising a plan to overthrow the North Korean government. On Wednesday, Bae’s sister Terri Chung ripped Rodman for not supporting her brother.
“Here’s somebody who is in a position to do some good for Kenneth and refuses to do so,” Chung told KOMO Radio in Seattle. “And then after the fact, instead, he decides to hurl these unqualified accusations against Kenneth. It’s clear he has no idea what he’s talking about. I’m not sure who he’s talking to, where he’s getting his information, but he’s certainly no authority on Kenneth Bae.”
We know Rodman is a strange character, but it seems obvious he is desperate for attention. He’d be best off keeping his nose out of sensitive world affairs.
