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Since the sudden, shocking death of Reggie White, a few retrospectives have mentioned in passing his visit to the Wisconsin state legislature -- an atypical and troubling moment in his history, where he used racial stereotypes and made disparaging remarks about homosexuals. Reconciling that with the otherwise extraordinary life he lived has been difficult for those seeking to properly eulogize him. I think Ray Ratto found the best way:
But there was that one day in the Wisconsin state legislature when he disparaged homosexuals and uttered some offensive ethnic remarks in a speech to the pols during his heyday as a Packer. It was a one-time public misstep, and it caused quite the stir in what we now euphemistically and often erroneously call the blue states.
It was the sternest test of his public life. It caricatured him and his beliefs, and it was the only time we know when he blurred the line between the locker room and the big room.
And here's how he passed that test. He apologized. It cost him a network TV job but he never went gave in to bitterness or reneged on that apology, showing if nothing else that the apology was as sincere as rest of his life.
And he moved on, never looking back, and more importantly, never going back. He was a man of his word, again. He'd offended people, he acknowledged it, and he never repeated the offense.
It's what good people do when they speak harshly, even inadvertently, about others. And Reggie White was by every account a good person. A human being, prone to the errors of humanity, and making amends.
But there was that one day in the Wisconsin state legislature when he disparaged homosexuals and uttered some offensive ethnic remarks in a speech to the pols during his heyday as a Packer. It was a one-time public misstep, and it caused quite the stir in what we now euphemistically and often erroneously call the blue states.
It was the sternest test of his public life. It caricatured him and his beliefs, and it was the only time we know when he blurred the line between the locker room and the big room.
And here's how he passed that test. He apologized. It cost him a network TV job but he never went gave in to bitterness or reneged on that apology, showing if nothing else that the apology was as sincere as rest of his life.
And he moved on, never looking back, and more importantly, never going back. He was a man of his word, again. He'd offended people, he acknowledged it, and he never repeated the offense.
It's what good people do when they speak harshly, even inadvertently, about others. And Reggie White was by every account a good person. A human being, prone to the errors of humanity, and making amends.