Andre Agassi used drugs. Drugs are bad. "I learned it by watching you!" We all get it. (The kid from the PSA was a guest on this show!) But now it's time for the tennis world to get real. Andre Agassi didn't bring shame to the world of tennis. To the contrary, he brought main street popularity to the game in the 80s and beyond for which many involved should be grateful.
Andre had a problem like many other people have a problem. Should he have lied about it to the ATP tour? No, but would you expect a regular person in the midst of that type of situation to act in any other way? Despite Martina Navratilova's irresponsible comparison to Roger Clemens, we're not talking about performance enhancing drugs. Navratilova has since clarified her comments to say that the comparison was not about the crime, but about the lies. Nobody likes a hall monitor, Martina. Yes, Andre should have technically missed matches for the failed drug test. Unless you show me that his actions in any way gave him an unfair advantage over the competition though, arguing over his record is pretty petty at this point. More than anyone else in the game, Andre hurt Andre.
There are some in the world of tennis, like Andy Roddick, who have given a more human reaction: "Andre is and always will be my idol. I will judge him on how he has treated me and how he has changed the world for (the) better." Well said Andy.
Now, a legendary tennis writer and broadcaster has weighed in with another well reasoned response. In a special commentary for Just My Show, Tennis Hall of Famer Bud Collins complimented Agassi for his honesty and praised him for his service to the community. "Who among us isn't without a bit of sin?" asked Collins. "Andre has gone from punk to paragon," he later said, going on to call him "A genuine humanitarian" for his work with kids in Las Vegas.
Bud Collins' commentary can be heard in full in the new episode of "Just My Show," approximately four minutes into the podcast.
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3 comments:
To err is to be human; to forgive is divine.
He just showed he is human. Do I like his actions? No. Do I judge him solely on them? No.
i still love andre! who is that girl with the Just My Show Shirt??? she is the cutest:)
Someone should tell Bud that Agassi dissed his "punk to paragon" quote/description of him in his book, saying that Bud was wrong and that he was never either a punk or a paragon.
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