Ozzie Guillen has never been one to shy away from controversy. He’s very good for a sound bit and often times gives sports writers one-liner gold.
However less than a week into the regular season with his new team the Miami Marlins, Guillen stepped over the line in his recent comments about Cuban dictator Fidel Castro
A native of Venezuela, Guillen told Time Magazine that he loves Castro and respects him for staying in power so long. Guillen recently held a closed-door meeting for the Marlins’ beat writers Saturday to apologize for the statements.
“I will apologize if I hurt somebody’s feelings, or I hurt somebody’s thought,” Guillen told the writers. “I want them to know I’m against everything 100% — I repeat it again — the way this man [has been] treating people for the last 60 years.”
The Marlins also released a statement regarding Guillen’s comments…
“There is nothing to respect about Fidel Castro.
“He is a brutal dictator who has caused unthinkable pain for more than 50 years. We live in a community filled with victims of this dictatorship, and the people in Cuba continue to suffer today.”
Now of course there’s going to be a bunch of free speech arguments in favor of not disciplining Guillen based off what he said. And don’t get me wrong, I’m all for free speech and free press myself but the Marlins (and perhaps Major League Baseball) need to realize where Guillen is managing. The Miami area is obviously known for its heavy Cuban population, a population of people who have suffered because of the brutal regime of Castro. I might be in the Marlins’ best interest if they make some type of punishment public, especially after their GM basically said their fans were morons.
Ref: LA Times