Tim Hardaway Sort of Wants Redemption

While John Amaechi continues to crusade for gay athletes and hairlessness, his foil Tim Hardaway is just trying to get his profesisonal life back on track. Following his virulent anti-gay comments and subsequent exile from All-Star weekend, Hardaway realized he needs to make amends. Sort of. If only for career reasons. From The Miami Herald:

"People have been trying to kick me when I'm down," he said this week, reflecting on everything that has happened. The reaction was "very, very shocking. People saying my wife left me -- that's not true. My family is OK and my finances are OK."

". . . I'm looking for a second chance and trying to clean up my image. I haven't been in trouble with drugs or guns. I'm an upstanding citizen. Like I told my children, life is not easy. This is a big bump I have to overcome. I'm going to deal with it like a champ. I've got to make sure people know I don't hate gay people."

I suppose that's good news for all the Hardaway supporters, and bad news for anyone who thinks that his comments weren't themselves enough of an embarassment. But when it comes to trying to reach out to the people he's offended, Tim's still taking a hardline:

Hardaway, who attended a Heat game last week, said he soon will speak with a gay organization (he's considering three) to "make them understand" why he made his comments -- which he apologized for -- and to gain a better understanding of their perspective. He rejected an offer to spend a day with North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns, who is gay, "because that was more for publicity for him."

I'm no expert in public relations, but it seems to me that part of seeking forgivenes is compromising, showing humility, stuff like that. If Hardaway is out to convince the world he's not a bigot, he should, pardon the phrase, bend over backwards. Trying to set the terms himself, questioning people's intentions, and trying to "make them understand" just looks like he's pleading guilty to a speeding ticket.

If only Hardaway had just won a Super Bowl... then none of this would happening.