The 6 Most Insincere Apologies of All-Time

6

Jason Giambi on the Subject of Steroids

Jason Giambi became one of the top hitters in Major League Baseball thanks to hard work, a little bit of luck and illegal steroids. In 2003, Giambi was named in the BALCO scandal, which accused him of receiving HGH, anabolic steroids and god knows what else from trainer Greg Anderson over the course of three years.

After details of this scandal were leaked to the public, Giambi had no choice but to address the media. While the baseball steroid scandal has been a long parade of carefully scripted attempts to deny culpability, Giambi's attempt at making amends set the bullshit stained high watermark. Forgoing an apology, Giambi dumped a large bag of horse manure on the notepads of USA Today writers. "I was wrong for doing that stuff," Giambi said. "What we should have done a long time ago was stand up -- players, ownership, everybody -- and said, 'We made a mistake."

"Steroids? However could we have known?!"

What Makes Him an Insincere Sack of Lies:

That mushy, sketchy wording of the apology was no accident; Giambi knew exactly what he was doing. In his contract, it stated that the New York Yankees didn't have to pay him another dime of his approximately $790 billion dollar contract if he admitted to illegal off the field activity. So instead he apologized for doing, "that stuff."

5

Governor Eliot Spitzer and Prostitute Ashley Dupre

In March of 2007, New York Governor, Eliot Spitzer, was forced to resign due to his involvement in a prostitution scandal. Details were leaked to the media that Spitzer met with a prostitute (Ashley Dupre) in February to have sexual relations, sing karaoke and play some foosball. Spitzer took to the podium and decided to come clean:

"I cannot allow for my private failings to disrupt the people's work," Spitzer said. "Over the course of my public life, I have insisted - I believe correctly - that people take responsibility for their conduct. I can and will ask no less of myself. For this reason, I am resigning from the office of governor."

Of course, Dupre had to get involved the apologies act as well; after all, there was press (and eventually, an interview with Diane Sawyer) to be had. In November of 2008, Dupre expressed her deep, complex, sorrow for Spitzer's wife, Silda Wall Spitzer. "I'm sorry for your pain," Dupre claimed she'd say if she could talk to Silda.

4

Congressman Tom Feeney and the Abramoff Scandal

3

Pacman Jones, Guns and Strippers

Adam "Pacman" Jones is a total douchebag, and an NFL cornerback in his spare time. In 2007, Jones made headlines for his part in a nightclub shooting that left the establishment's manager paralyzed. Jones managed to avoid jail time, but had a hefty year-long suspension handed down from the NFL.

After the suspension, Jones released this statement: "To my family, teammates, coaches and fans, I recognize that I have lost the right to ask for your patience and understanding. However, I will do everything in my power to regain your trust and respect."

"You ain't catchin' me, severe emotional issues!"

What Makes Him An Insincere Sack of Lies:

Shortly after Pacman's suspension, he signed a contract with TNA, which stands for Total Nonstop Action; a professional wrestling company that we have to assume stole its name from one of the 24-hour porn channels at the bottom of the Dish listings. Because a contract clause forbade Jones from wrestling, he instead had a gimmick where he would drop single dollar bills on wrestlers who had lost matches. This routine is known in strip clubs as "making it rain," an act that led to Jones slamming a stripper's head on the stage the night of the shooting.

There are many ways to demonstrate that you are genuinely sorry for doing something. Creating a professional wrestling persona with a gimmick based around the very thing for which you're apologizing does not rank high on the list. Neither does doing the same damned thing again. In January of 2008, Jones was accused of hitting a woman in an Atlanta strip club. Pacman, you have earned our trust indeed. Wherever a stripper needs to be unnecessarily harassed, wherever someone needs to be intimidated by a large posse, wherever someone generally needs to be in the presence of a complete and utter asshole: We can trust you to be there.

2

Alec Baldwin Screams Obscenities at His Child

Many of you know Alec Baldwin as the talented, overwhelmingly pompous actor in such great movies as Pearl Harbor, The Cat in the Hat and The Shadow. In April of 2007, Baldwin became the subject of the media's wrath after leaving his daughter a threatening voicemail. Baldwin had apparently been set off by his daughter's absence during their scheduled visitation time, and her repeated criticism of his performance in Along Came Polly.

In addition to calling his 11-year-old daughter, Ireland a "rude, thoughtless little pig"; Baldwin angrily yelled, "Once again, I have made an ass of myself trying to get to a phone, you have insulted me for the last time. This crap you pull on me with this goddamn phone situation that you would never dream of doing to your mother, and you do it to me constantly over and over again."

If they made a movie about a serial killer who murdered people via cellphone, this would be the poster.

After a couple of weeks passed, this statement was released by Baldwin's spokesperson: "Although Alec acknowledges that he should have used different language in parenting his child, everyone who knows him privately knows what he has been put through for the past six years."

What Makes Him An Insincere Sack of Lies:

What stands out about this apology is, "...he should have used different language in parenting his child." Apparently Baldwin and his spokesperson believed the sentiment behind the pig comparison was right on. His problem was that he simply hadn't put it eloquently enough. If you imply that your child is a pig, does it really matter what kind of language you use to do it?

1

Michael Richards and Racism

It's hard to imagine a string of events that could have killed off Michael Richards' public images as lovable Kramer as quickly as screaming racial epithets from the stage. Really, nothing short of killing some dudes.

It didn't take long for black leaders (that is, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson) to demand Richards apologize. On November 20, 2006 Richards appeared via satellite on Late Night with David Letterman (Jerry Seinfeld was also a guest that night) to smooth it all over:

"... You know, I'm really busted up over this and I'm very, very sorry to those people in the audience, the blacks, the Hispanics, whites - everyone that was there that took the brunt of that anger and hate and rage and how it came through, and I'm concerned about more hate and more rage and more anger coming through, not just towards me but towards a black/white conflict."

What Makes Him An Insincere Sack of Lies:

Anyone who watched his stumbling, confusing, oddly-comical apology, probably wondered what the hell was going on. He didn't appear to have anything relevant to say, and he's basically gone into witness protection since that time. What the hell was the guy doing? The confusion stems from the fact that Richards never mentioned the real reason he was there. It was the same reason Seinfeld was there: the Seinfeld: Season 7 DVD was due to be released on November 21st, the very next day.

Seinfeld and Richards needed to come onto the show so the audience would come to the conclusion, "Hey! This guy isn't so bad! He seems incapable of doing deliberate harm to people, much less have racist thoughts. He made a genuine mistake, and totally deserves a portion of my $49.95. Honey, get the kids! We're taking a trip to Best Buy!"

The apology itself was sheer insincerity perfected. In his rambling, barely coherent appearance, Richards delved into such vital issues as Hurricane Katrina ("There's a great deal of disturbance in this country and how blacks feel about what happened in Katrina, and, you know..."), American foreign policy ("...why the trash takes place, whether or not it's between me and a couple of hecklers in the audience or between this country and another nation, the rage...") and his martial arts background ("...I tried to jujitsu that...").

If Richards had merely shown up, took accountability with a brief apology and left, he wouldn't have looked like such a nutjob. But no, Michael, you go ahead and equate your mediocre unfunny comedy routine with Hurricane Katrina. You do that.

For more in the world of celebrity douchedom, check out The Top 10 Celebrity Sex Videos Nobody Wanted to See and The 7 Most Retarded Ways Celebrities Have Tried to Go Green.

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