by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni
When photos of Greg Oden’s exposed junk hit the web yesterday, creating a firestorm for the injured big man, his management team tried taking the litigious route to have them removed from the interwebs. Naturally, that did not work at all.
So, Greg did the smart thing: he stepped up to the plate, admitted his mistake and asked for forgiveness. A tried-and-tested PR move that usually garners positive feedback.
Here are Oden’s words to the assembled media and public, courtesy of The Oregonian:
“I want to apologize to everybody, Portland, fans, the organization. It was very embarrassing. It was something that happened over a year-and-a-half ago. It was taken and sent over a year-and-a-half ago. I’m very sorry and I’m definitely embarrassed for my family and everybody around me.”
“My heart dropped. I got a phone call like around 6 a.m. this morning and I usually have pictures of me all over the internet, even when they’re not true. So when I actually got up and saw this one, it was very, very embarrassing and hurtful … It was a lady friend who I was having a relationship with. It was for her. It was definitely meant to keep private.”
Tiger Woods should perhaps take a few notes from G.O.
As for the Oden’s employer, the Portland Trailblazers will apparently “look into” the situation, and GM Kevin Pritchard said he was disappointed and embarrassed by the incident. That being said, I find it hard to imagine that Greg will face any sort of disciplinary action from the team.
