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A few days after publicly embarrassing himself, his organization, and the fans that buy his jersey and cheer his name, Darren Mattocks wants us all to know, he's sorry. No, seriously, he's very sorry. I know that because he took the careful time and consideration to craft three apology tweets, and sent this out this morning.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>I would like to apologize to the <a href="https://twitter.com/WhitecapsFC">@WhitecapsFC</a> organization, the fans, and my teammates for the comments I made on a local Jamaican TV show.</p>— Darren Mattocks (@DarrenMattocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrenMattocks/statuses/398429894549721088">November 7, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Is your heart melting yet? Here's number two.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>I realize how inappropriate my comments were, and I need to take a hard look at myself.</p>— Darren Mattocks (@DarrenMattocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrenMattocks/statuses/398430062502215680">November 7, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Here's the last one, in an apology so hollow, Rob Ford must've written it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>I will use offseason to improve on & off the field to be a positive player, teammate and member of@WhitecapsFC and the city of Vancouver</p>— Darren Mattocks (@DarrenMattocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrenMattocks/statuses/398430178273411072">November 7, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Here's the thing, and this is totally my own opinion. I've been around the team for the past few seasons, and have had the opportunity to observe Mattocks training and in matches. I always saw him as happy go lucky and laid back, but not 'lazy', or unprofessional. Certainly, while I thought he had plenty of confidence (as all athletes need) I never saw him as a selfish man, or a 'me first' player.
That interview has completely changed my view of him. We saw the immaturity, the petulance from this kid in a way we've never seen it before. While I knew Mattocks was disappointed with 2013, I figured he was more disappointed in himself, and what he didn't do. Now we know that he's laid the blame at the feet of the Whitecaps. Here's the thing Darren, when you get prime playing opportunities at the beginning of the season, and you couple bad work ethic with minimal results, and you're going to be riding pine for a while.
Funnily enough, yesterday I had sat down to write a quick article on why the 'Caps should not deal Darren Mattocks. One interview later, and I'll drive him to the airport myself. To me, this is a bogus apology and a PR move.
What do you guys think? Do you buy the apology?