If you're going to say it, then be an adult and stand behind it

I am flat out sick of any athlete, be it professional or not, who spouts off during an interview or while sitting at a computer only to come back with a half-hearted apology the next day. Anyone with a brain knows you don't really mean it when you say your comments were taken out of context or that you were just caught up in the heat of the moment and truly regret any harm your words may have caused. Every time an athlete comes out and issues an apology they sound like they just received an A in Crash Davis 'Apology Cliches 101' class.

The latest tough talker turned apathetic apologizer is James Harrison. You know, the guy that is considered one of the dirtiest players in the NFL... the same guy that was fined $100,000 last season for illegal hits... the badass that posed for his Men's Journal interview shirtless while holding 2 of his own guns across his chest... Yeah, this poster boy for toughness and kick assness (I like to make up words) said exactly what Professor Davis taught him:

"It was a careless use of a slang word and I apologize to all who were offended by the remark." And let's not forget about, "...but the handful of words that were used and heavily publicized yesterday were pulled out of a long conversation and the context was lost."

I'm not going to go into whether he was right or wrong for what he said or if he should have apologized for his words. Honestly, I don't care. What he said has no direct impact on me (other than prompting me to write this blog). I wasn't hurt or incensed by what he said; my bank account didn't suffer from it and my friends and family aren't going to look at me differently either. What I would like to see, and I know I'm dreaming here, is for an athlete to actually stand behind what he or she says and not issue the obligatory apology statement that is about as sincere as Cartman when he's being nice. 

If you honestly feel so strongly about something that you are willing to say it to someone with a recorder in their hand, then there is no reason for you to take it back. Be an adult and own up to your comments. Don't backtrack once your words become a national story and you're being slammed for sounding like an idiot.  Being tough is more than physical strength. It involves having the stones to make a statement and not back down from it. Calling out teammates and coaches to the media is the cowards way of venting your frustration. As adults and as professional athletes you should be man or woman enough to go up to that person and let them know exactly how you feel and not have to say you are sorry the next day.

Honestly, how do you look yourself in the mirror and call yourself an adult when you can't even stand behind your own words?

~Poljak