When Titus Young returned to the Detroit Lions after a week-long absence, he released a statement to apologize for his actions off the field. Young didn't speak to the media on that day; in fact, he didn't field questions until this week. Even so, it was nice of Young to at least acknowledge his mistakes.
On Friday, Nick Fairley followed suit by releasing a statement of his own. In it, he apologized for the "unwanted attention" he has brought to the team with his arrests this offseason. He also called his actions "inexcusable." Here's the full statement:
After taking some much-needed time to reflect on recent incidents, and after conversations with my advisors, teammates, and members of the Lions organization, I would like to make the following statement:
I want to personally apologize to my fans, teammates and the Detroit Lions organization for bringing this unwanted attention to our team. I recognize my actions were inexcusable and I personally need to uphold the expected standard of behavior of a professional athlete. I do not take for granted this opportunity and feel blessed everyday to play in the NFL.
At this time, I am fully cooperating with the Mobile, Ala. Police Department. I am now focused on moving forward and committing my focus to football. I would like to thank everyone for your concern and understanding.
While it would have been nice for this statement to come out last week, I suppose this is a case of better late than never. The next step for Fairley will be to actually address the media. Young's comments this week impressed me, and it'd be nice to see Fairley follow suit again by answering questions, as I think it would help everybody move forward and put this in the past.
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