If Mike Clevinger is trying to win public relations points in the fallout of the disturbing domestic violence accusations that have been leveled against him, he’s going about it the wrong way.
Shortly after reporting to spring training, Clevinger gave a press conference. In it, he was asked what he said to the team about the allegations. While stating that he wanted to keep his exact message “in the clubhouse,” Clevinger did elaborate some about what he said to his new teammates with the Chicago White Sox.
“I just wanted to share my sentiment to them of how bad I felt that this is how I was starting out,” Clevinger said, in a video shared on YouTube by NBC Sports Chicago. “This is how they were meeting me — a lot of these guys don’t know me — and I didn’t want their first day of camp to be answering questions about this nonsense.”
He didn’t want to be a distraction, especially in his first camp with the White Sox. That makes sense. But in in an interview with Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times, Clevinger made a series of comments that will certainly add to the distraction.
Clevinger was highly critical of Parkins & Spiegel, a show on 670 The Score in Chicago. Clevinger’s accuser, Olivia Finestead, was a guest on the show. Clevinger did not care what was discussed. Among other things, Clevinger hinted that litigation may be coming, saying “My lawyers are paying attention” and said that the interview was “some lowlife material.”
Baseball fans blasted Clevinger for what he said.
this is all great! going so great! https://t.co/1IIS6J2PWO
— Cat Garcia 🐈⬛ (@bycatgarcia) February 18, 2023
Strong stuff from a guy who might have been best served this week by staying quiet, via the one reporter in AZ who bothered to ask about his accuser’s remarks: https://t.co/3QmPAtBgAE
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubMLB) February 18, 2023
When you apologize for becoming a distraction and then go to the press to rip the local radio station 2 days later, it kind of says a lot about your character. pic.twitter.com/qlyim3pOM2
— PGL: the last diamond (@PerfectGameLex) February 18, 2023
Really taking away the joy of Spring training and looking forward to a new season, huh White Sox?
You guys know I’m rarely publicly critical of my favorite teams, but I can’t stay silent when this guy is wearing a Sox uniform. It’s brutal. https://t.co/tl2XD8SoqX
— Michael Piff (@Mike_PiFF03) February 18, 2023
Imagine thinking it was a good idea for this guy to be in camp to start the year. Because he wouldn’t be a distraction at all, right? Shameful, embarrassing stuff here. https://t.co/xivwgISc7r
— Courtney Finnicum (@courtney883) February 18, 2023
Great signing #WhiteSox! This guy is going to continue to be THE story in training camp for things off of the diamond. I can’t wait to fast forward to when this guy is gone because he’s way too much drama, even if you’re an innocent until proven guilty person. https://t.co/6wjDdm2Rhb
— Herb Lawrence (@Ecnerwal23) February 18, 2023
These comments were remarkably tone-deaf, no matter how they’re viewed.
If the allegations against Clevinger are ultimately proven true, things are going to be bad enough for him. These comments are going to look even worse.
But what happens if they aren’t true? What if he’s completely innocent and the allegations are false? In that case, his press conference at the beginning of camp should have been all he said. That at least minimzes the distraction. Picking a fight with one of the biggest radio stations in your team’s home city (and for that matter, the entire country)? That does the opposite.
A story like this is always going to be a “distraction.” Clevinger couldn’t do anything to change that. But these comments make no sense, especially coming so quickly after he was apologetic that his new teammates were having to address this. Clevinger would be best served by keeping his mouth shut going forward.
Photo Credit: NBC Sports Chicago, YouTube.
[Chicago Sun-Times, Steve Greenberg on Twitter, NBC Sports Chicago on YouTube]
