At Ozzie Guillen’s news conference in Miami, conducted for the most part in his native language of Spanish, the Marlins manager apologized to almost everyone he could think of:
Ozzie Guillen Apologizes At Miami News Conference
“I’m sorry that I have hurt a city, a country, a community, without any intention. But I did it. … I feel like I’ve betrayed my Latin community. I feel like I betrayed to my Latin community. I’m here to say I’m sorry, with my heart in my hands. I want to say sorry to all those people who were hurt directly or indirectly. Especially to the Cuban-Americans in Miami.”
Guillen then went on a rambling talk about what Hugo Chavez is doing to hurt Guillen’s native Venezuela, and also said he was “very embarrassed” and would do everything he could to help the Cuban-American community in Miami. He said he did not “admire” Fidel Castro, in an attempt to explain the remarks he made to TIME magazine; he said Castro has hurt many people and that his comments were misinterpreted because he was “thinking in Spanish, but speaking in English”. He blames himself, not the TIME reporter.
He said he’d show the Cuban-American community that this isn’t just for one day, but the way he’ll conduct himself in the future; he’ll speak with his actions, not his words.
His suspension for five games will be without pay, but Guillen said that’s the last thing he’s worried about right now. He said he’ll talk to Marlins players on Wednesday and hopes the team will play hard while he’s under suspension. According to Ken Rosenthal, bench coach Joey Cora will manage the Marlins while Guillen is under suspension.
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