Mike writes:
 
> I have to add that Donatelli was not asked about
> this.  He raised the issue *himself* on Saturday, indicating to me that he
> was sincere about his apology and had been thinking about it.
>
> I think he did mean what he said Friday -
> but that he wasn't rational when he said it.  People do that all the time.
> The next day, he came out on his own and apologized - and he wouldn't have
> done that if he didn't mean it.
>
> I put
> the blame on the press, who continued to discuss it 3-4 days later while
> a lot of people had probably forgotten it.
 
Oh c'mon.  If you want to believe that Donatelli apologized on his own
and that the ambiguous wording was an accident - fine.  I'd like to
believe it too (although I can come up with an equally plausible
explanation after the bad publicity that Donatelli and the team
received).....but blaming the press?  That's much too easy.  In fact, if
you'd used the more popular and descriptive term "liberal press," you
could get a job in the White House.
 
The press didn't have to go after the team...they created the headlines
themselves (how about: "Crooked Swedish Referee Steals US Medal").
When multiple members of a team question not only the competence
of a referee, but also his ethics ("the Swede was out to get
us"), that's news.  No one should allege such scandalous behavior and
then claim that someone else made too much of it.  And Mike, if you
couldn't let the discussion die, how can you accuse the press of
prolonging it long after people cared?
 
I had tears in my eyes in 1980, but I was just as proud of this team.
That is, until several members exhibited such terrible sportsmanship.
Blame it on emotion if you want, but it is still poor sportsmanship.
To me the only way to make up for it would have been a full public
apology to the referee in front of the same audience/media channels.  If
you were accused of misconduct without substantiation would you expect
anything less?
 
Jon Greene
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wasn't news, why did you bring it back up five days after the fact?