Miami Marlins' manager Ozzie Guillen apologizes for his comments about Fidel Castro

That awkward moment when…you express your admiration for a dictator in a city full of people that said dictator oppressed

Miami Marlins’ Manager Ozzie Guillen Apologizes For Fidel Castro Comments

Ozzie Guillen was suspended five games by the Miami Marlins in advance of a news conference this morning where he explained his explosive comments about Fidel Castro, words that have set off protests in the middle of the community where the Marlins have built their new stadium and among fans the team hope to woo.

“I’m sorry that I hurt the community without any intention,” Guillen said in Spanish. “I’m here to say I’m sorry.”

Guillen, the first-year manager of the Marlins, made a special trip back to Miami from Philadelphia on an off-day for the team so he could explain comments in a Time magazine article praising Castro.

“He has done a lot of bad things,” Guillen said of Castro. “That’s why I am surprised he has stayed in power so long.”

Guillen said he felt the meaning of his comments were misconstrued in the translation between Spanish and English. He took and answered questions in both languages for nearly an hour today.

“I don’t want to make excuses,” he said. “But I meant that I was surprised Fidel Castro stayed in power so long. That’s what was missing in the translation. … I’m not saying the journalist was wrong. I was wrong. I was thinking in Spanish and I said it wrong in English.”

For those unaware of what exactly Ozzie said to get himself in so much hot water…

Usually defiant in the face of criticism, Guillen has instead sounded remorseful and said he’s had difficulty sleeping since a Time magazine online story that ran Friday quoted him as saying, “I love Fidel Castro.”

Later in the story he added, “I respect Fidel Castro. You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that (expletive) is still here.”

What is your reaction to Ozzie’s comments? Do you think that the 5-game suspension is a fair punishment for the crime??

Image via YouTube

Daily Pitch/USAToday

USAToday

Hit the flip to see Ozzie’s apology press conference from earlier today.