76ers

Celebrities and high-profile companies have come up with ways to apologize without actually meaning they’re sorry. The Philadelphia 76ers fan who flipped off Russell Westbrook on Wednesday, however, might have set the bar with his not-so-sorry apology on Thursday.

Richard Harkaway, a Philadelphia urologist who has become a source of many stories after his antics during Wednesday’s game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder, apologized for flipping off Westbrook during Wednesday’s game.

 

However, the apology came after he posted on Facebook that he was provoked by Westbrook when the Thunder phenom made fun of his weight.

Here’s the original Facebook post where Harkaway wasn’t sorry for his actions.

“To all my FB friends who are seeing a picture of me on the Internet giving the finger to Russell Westbrook. Actually two fingers,’’ Harkaway wrote in a private post. “Not as simple as it seems. I love to scream at the players and anyone who has been to a game with me knows this. Part of my charm. What you may not have seen on any of the video clips is what started the whole thing, which was Russell Westbrook saying ‘sit down f—ing fat boy’ when I stood up to boo.”

Harkaway’s tune quickly changed when approached by Philly.com.

“As a part-time comedian I realize that my words and actions are sometimes inappropriate,” Harkaway said in a statement to Philly.com issued by a personal representative. “In this instance, after standing up to boo and being provoked by Russell Westbrook calling attention to my being overweight, my action in response was clearly inexcusable and I am embarrassed. I sincerely apologize to my fellow Sixers fans, the Sixers organization, my colleagues and patients, and to Mr. Westbrook for my behavior.”

Looking at the contrast in the two statements, it’s pretty obvious that someone told Harkaway to change his tune. Obviously, getting ejected from Wednesday’s game didn’t send a message to this guy.

Based on what we’ve seen, this guy is a goof who wasn’t ready for the public spotlight. He might want to think twice before flipping off the team’s best player again on national TV.

[NBC Sports]

About Ryan Williamson

Ryan is a recent graduate of the University of Missouri and has recently returned to his Minnesota roots. He previously has worked for the Columbia Missourian, KFAN radio in Minneapolis and BringMeTheNews.com. Feel free to email me at rwilliamson29 AT Gmail dot com.