ANDRE MADE A BAD MISTAKE, BUT HE HAS MADE UP FOR IT SINCE, AS THE GAME’S LEADING HUMANITARIAN
Is Andre just another book salesman?
By now everybody from here to the Somalian pirates knows that Andre Agassi has come clean in his new memoir (“Open”) about using illegal drugs (crystal meth) and telling a big lie about it. Undoubtedly it will out-sell any other tennis bio. But is milking another cash cow his motive, as some have suggested?
I don’t think so. To me it’s a catharsis that has been aching, festering to come out for a decade — a need to confess his wrongdoings. A relief, even though it may be costly in the matter of endorsements and reputation. As the father of two youngsters, he probably wondered how he could preach honesty to them if he sat on this unsavory truth.
So it’s out in the open, a heavy, thoughtless mistake by a bright man who should have known better. But instead of spouting, “Say it ain’t so, Andre!” I salute him for his candor, doing the right thing. He falls into the “nobody is perfect” category, especially since he hurt no one but himself, and deserves forgiveness.
Will this misdeed tarnish his name? I hope not; it shouldn’t. We love comebacks, and certainly Andre’s progress from punk to paragon over the years is one of the best, particularly his rise from a troubled, drug-tempted No. 141 ranking in 1997 to a genuine humanitarian-with-charitable-foundation today. I see no reason why Admirable Andre won’t be elevated to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011, his first year of eligibility, catching up with his wife, Stefanie Graf.
My confession is that I haven’t yet read the entire book, only the exerpts. Maybe there are other sins within, like jaywalking, sneaking into the movies or speeding in a school zone?
But Andre’s crime was nowhere near the worst committed by a star tennis player.
That would be Vere Goold of Ireland, Wimbledon finalist in 1879. Goold was a murderer, killing a Frenchwoman in France in 1907, and was imprisoned on Devil’s Island for the rest of his days. Alas for Goold — no tennis courts on dreaded Devil’s Island.
Tags: Andre Agassi, Drugs
November 06 2009 11:19 pm | Misc. Articles
Long time Bud admirer! on 07 Nov 2009 at 2:22 pm #
Hi Bud,
I heard you on Aus media interview last night and saw your piece here. Thank goodness for some perspective from someone Hope you and others will be speaking up more in the media next week when the book is actually out because there’s been such sensationalism based on tiny extracts of the book the last ten days or so.
Enjoyed your take on tennis for more than thirty years!
Charlie on 08 Nov 2009 at 9:20 pm #
I was hoping you would weigh in on this Bud, and share your view. It would seem that Andre genuinely wants to be redeemed personally in this process. His candor is refreshing and disarming. Dare I say I think more of him now? The less than perfect group just added a wonderful person. His grace is an asset to tennis and I hope his role in the sport is not diminished by his admission.
missdona on 14 Nov 2009 at 4:38 am #
Hi Bud (and Anita). It’s Dona from NY. We met in the hotel in Melbourne last winter. I’m currently on a business trip, and the book is waiting for me at home.
I agree totally.
Andre went from an arrogant, brash punk to a soft spoken, genuine, kind-hearted gentleman.
The record-books show that his game was a mess when he was going through it. And with the establishment of the school, he has more than atoned for his sins.
Charlie on 04 Jan 2010 at 2:00 pm #
After reading the book I think the incident is misunderstood in the realm of cable sound bites and punditry. The autobiography was refreshingly candid and the incident needs to be understood in the context of his conflicted, interesting life.
Bud, it’s getting close to the rumble down under. We need you to set the stage! Are the Brussel Sprouts the duo to beat? Is there really parity in men’s tennis? Is the gentle giant a one hit wonder? Are Robin and Nikolay pretenders to the throne? Will Roger rule the carpet roost? Inquiring minds need to know.
Bud Collins on 08 Jan 2010 at 10:06 am #
Charlie — thank you for yours. i feel that andre’s drug confession had been festering within for a long time. such stuff always gets out eventually, and with 2 children andre wanted them to hear it from papa some day, not as a tabloid scandal. i applaud his honesty
Charlie on 12 Jan 2010 at 10:15 pm #
Thx Bud, I just had a chance to meet Andre and Steffi – my company has worked with them for years and they were nice enough to join our management meeting. It was a privilege. Andre’s candor is disarming and inspirational. He talked about how the book might help people who he would never meet. I feel lucky to have met him and, and Steffi was beautiful and gracious. I look forward to contributing toward their great charity.
theresa weir on 18 Jan 2010 at 9:26 pm #
Thanks Bud for sticking up for Andre. Hope by now you have finished the book. I found that if you start reading, you cannot put it down. I do not believe, as Pete implied in an interview, that it was ghost written. Andre is a great writer. for every “sound bite” you could pick out to make him look bad, if you read the book you get the sense of the context and love Andre even more. btw he said in the book he cringes at “punk to paragon.” he makes the good point that he was a kid like so many others, lost and trying to grow up in a difficult situation. he changed, like most of us do as we grow up. in many ways we ALL go from punk to paragon (if we are lucky anyway–but I think we all have acted at times in our teens in ways we now would not). anyway thanks for being an Andre supporter we love you for it. theresa weir