It was a very painful time of my life. To see people who don’t know you or don’t understand all the information publicly malign you is a very hurtful process. Those sound bites [from the radio talk show] aren’t representative of the person that I am, and the people who know me, know that. Players that rushed to my defense (Andy Roddick and Lindsay Davenport among others) weren’t given the opportunity or the voice to be heard. It was a better story to tell it the other way.
What hurt me the most are the people in the media who I generally have such a good relationship with because I give so much. But the second I took it too far, those same people who would call me for the sound bite, destroyed me.
- Justin Gimelstob on the controversy surrounding his offensive comments about Anna Kournikova and a few other lady ballers
Hard lesson to learn, Justin, but one you clearly needed to take in if you're going to be in the media. In this day and age of quick sound bites and blogs, anything can be taken out of context or lost in translation and repeated a gazillion times. Proceed with caution.
Now, do I think that happened in this situation? No. Terms like "douchebag", "sexpot", and "scumbag" directed towards these women on-air are really hard to confuse, don't ya think?
Soundbites?! What Justin said were no individual words taken out of context. How easily we tend to forget. What was despicable was no "douchebag" or "sexpot" namecalling, but a long rant about what he would like his "hot brother" to do to Anna ("nail her") and WHY - he himself supposedly has no wish to do that, because he finds her unworthy of his advances ("she's a douchebag").
ReplyDeleteJustin is scum, probably prevoiusly rejected by Anna.
I've had the unfortunate experience of encountering Justin up close and in person at a few US Opens. He basically hits on anything with breasts, myself included. He reminds me of a used car salesman. So creepy, so sleazy...*shudders*
ReplyDeleteHe's a maggot. Got that Justin? That's not a soundbite. I said it and I meant it. I don't care who uses it.
anon + natch - yeah everything he gets he deserves on this one. he took what is most likely locker room talk, let's be honest, and felt justified putting it out there because he's justin gimelstob.
ReplyDeleteit's another case of someone with a sense of entitlement acting like an ass because they believe they can, with no strings supposedly attached which he found out he was so wrong on.
but what surprise me is that billie jean king of all people allowed him to continue playing on the WTT without being suspended or anything. strange one for me to figure out.
to your point natch, the picture i used in my post from the WTT match where they faced each other after the incident showed him with an annoyingly wry smile staring at her. why was he even allowed to play that match? for controversy, PR, for me to post about?? surprising move billie jean.
I don't believe that this is supposed to be the normal locker room talk. I can't imagine Rafa or Roger talking like this. Not even Djokovic.
ReplyDeleteGimelstob is trying to find excuses. Of course he was joking. But it's still a rude sexistic joke.
anon: i'm not saying everyone talks this way in the locker room but i hear stuff in my local gym nevermind a bunch of guys in their late teen's, early 20's traveling together, on the road all the time? it happens, let's get real.
ReplyDeleteGimelstob is polishing the turd but it just stinks even more.
ReplyDelete