Even after firing Taubman, Astros deserve all the shame they get - Sportsnet.ca

TORONTO – Let’s start with the obvious here. This is the right outcome – really the only possible outcome.

The Houston Astros announced Thursday that they dismissed Brandon Taubman, the assistant general manager who yelled “I’m so f—— glad we got Osuna!” over and over at a group of female reporters following Houston’s ALCS win.

By yelling about Osuna, Taubman diminished the significance of the allegations against someone who was charged with assaulting his girlfriend last summer. Though charges were withdrawn as part of a peace bond when the complainant declined to testify, MLB still found enough evidence to suspend Osuna for 75 games. And yet, Taubman chose to yell about Osuna to a group of women, one of whom was wearing a domestic violence awareness bracelet.

Making matters worse, the Astros initially denied Sports Illustrated’s account of the event entirely, calling it ‘misleading and completely irresponsible,’ an attempt to ‘fabricate a story where one does not exist.’ Only later, once corroborating reports emerged and MLB got involved, did the Astros change their tone.

Even then, Taubman’s so-called apology was utterly insufficient. He complimented himself for being “progressive” and offered a statement that culminated in the ultimate non-apology: “I’m sorry if anyone was offended.”

This was a chance for him to see the harm he caused, for him to embrace his status as a leader on a major-league team and decide to make changes for the better. Instead, he denied the impact of his actions.

Taubman should have accepted responsibility, but he’s far from the only one at fault. Astros owner Jim Crane’s statement offered no acknowledgement of the harm caused and no mention of Taubman by name. Houston GM Jeff Luhnow glossed over the comments, saying “we may never know” Taubman’s intent. And Houston’s PR department was so eager to defend Taubman that they called Stephanie Apstein’s SI story a fabrication.

Even the release announcing Taubman’s dismissal was layered with lies. The Astros say they “pro-actively assisted” MLB in interviewing Astros employees this week. Really? Weren’t you denying the very existence of this story 72 hours ago?

Ultimately MLB got involved and cleaned up Houston’s mess. Public outcry surely helped on that front, too. The statement they issued represented one small but necessary step in the right direction.

“We were wrong,” the statement read. “We sincerely apologize to Stephanie Apstein, Sports Illustrated and to all individuals who witnessed this incident or were offended by the inappropriate conduct. The Astros in no way intended to minimize the issues related to domestic violence.”

Sure. But reaching the right conclusion doesn’t equate to doing the right thing. The Astros already played their cards here. Left to their own devices, they would have tried to make this issue disappear. No – they would have pretended it didn’t even exist.

Instead, the right decision was made. But that decision was made despite the Astros’ involvement, not because of them. With that in mind, the organization deserves all of the shame that it gets whether Taubman’s still in Houston or not.

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October 25, 2019 at 05:38AM