NEWS BLOG (WSAU): As a kid I remember listening to sportscaster Marv Albert.

He was a busy man. Albert’s regular job was the evening sports reports on Channel 4 in New York. But he was also in demand for play-by-play sports. He did the New York Knicks radio broadcasts during the winter. He was also one of the lead sportscasters for NBC’s NFL coverage.

And then it all came crashing down. In 1997 his mistress went public. She described in detail his out-of-the mainstream sexual tastes, which included rough sex and wearing women’s underwear. She accused him of assault, biting her and forcing her to perform a sex act. There may have been public sex scandals before… but never like this. I was certain that Albert’s career was ruined. When people saw him on tv they’d imagine him wearing a pink camisole. When they heard his voice, they’d think of him spanking or biting his partner.

Marv Albert did what Tiger Woods did. He apologized. He disappeared from the public spotlight for a time. And then he gradually began working himself back. And today his career is roughly the way it was before. Today he does basketball games for TNT sports and The New Jersey Nets. He does NFL radio broadcasts for Westwood One. The public has either forgotten or moved on.

Dick Morris, the presidential advisor who had his own sex scandal, gave this advice to Bill Clinton when a certain blue dress was discovered: “Don’t under-estimate people’s capacity to forgive someone who’s truly sorry.” It’s true.

A few years from now, will Tiger Woods be a damaged, publicly scorned man? Or will he resume being a celebrated sports superstar? Anyone who bets against the latter doesn’t know much about the American public.

Chris Conley
Operations Manager-Midwest Communications, Wausau
2.19.10