Conor McGregor's Apology Was A Shameless PR Move

[A.S. Deep]

Summary: In this editorial, the author says Conor's apology was fake. His main argument is if it was real, he would have apologized at the time.

Conor McGregor's Apology Was A Shameless PR Move

Conor McGregor recently sat down with ESPN to do some public relations work. McGregor has not fought since Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted him in the main event of UFC 229, which took place in October 2018. Since then it seems the only time the UFC competitor has made the news is for a violent or vile indiscretion.

. . .

. . .

Earlier this month, TMZ released video from April of McGregor punching a bar patron in an Irish pub. The man's crime? He allegedly refused a drink from McGregor.

In a somewhat tone-deaf apology, McGregor attempted to paint himself as a victim of celebrity.

"I need to just stop reacting to the bait," McGregor told ESPN. "People are trying to bait me into things. Am I the fish? Or am I the whale? I must be calm. I must be calm. I must be zen. I must lead by example. There's so many people looking up to me. How can I react in this way? I need to get a hold of this."

McGregor then stressed how long it's been since he was last in trouble.

"It's been, what? Five months since that one? That's it," said McGregor. "I just have to take what comes and move on. I've learned from every single experience in my life and try to do right for the people who want me to do right. … But how can they back me in certain situations? I must understand that and grow as a man and make amends."

As apologies go, McGregor's fell short. He seemed contrite when he said, "I was in the wrong. That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it end the way it did. Although, five months ago it was, I tried to make amends. And I made amends back then. That doesn't even matter, I was in the wrong."

However, when he painted himself as a victim who was being baited into reacting violently, he lost any goodwill he had earned.

The entire interview came across as a calculated PR move by McGregor, his team and the UFC. What made thing worse was the timing.

Had McGregor apologized at the time of any of these incidents, he may have earned himself some sympathy. He didn't. He waited to apologize until he learned his popularity was on the wane and that fighters such as Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz were emerging as stars while McGregor sat in the sidelines.

The sad thing is that McGregor's transparent PR ploy seems to be working. The media has gloomed onto his apology and painted it as sincere, which is exactly the way McGregor and the UFC wanted it to play out. As long as McGregor doesn't have another run-in with the authorities, the UFC will be able to slot McGregor into a high-profile fight.

As we have found out over that past few years, that's a big if when it comes to the volatile fighter.

-Forbes

Every apology is a PR move. When a little kid apologizes to his parents, he’s not actually sorry. He just doesn’t want to get in further trouble.

 

[bigconan]

yes, the old guy should have said..I'm sorry your majesty but I have to respectfully decline in partaking in your delicious adult beverage.

How about "I'm all set" or just "no thanks" nothing he said, deserves a punch...but, you also don't have to be a dick to someone offering you a free drink either...

 

[bigconan]

Are you outta your MF'ing mind? So poor Conor was just being nice but the mean little old man wasnt so lil Conor had no choice but to pop him in the mouth...Nice spin and utter bullshite

Heres a hypothetical for ya:

~Old guys sitting in the park minding his own business reading his paper on a nice breezy Sunday morning. Bunch of thugs pull up blaring Rap at mind numbing volume right next to him. They notice he seems irritated and confront him "Yo! You like our music right old man?!" He shakes his head no in which they say "Yo! Why the fuck you dont like our music old man -you racist!?". He looks at them and goes "Because its utter garbage -not music" In which they proceed to pummel him in the head.~

Why couldnt that old man just be nice? It was HIS fault for not just enjoying the free entertainment these fine young men were offering. He deserved it.

ummmm, that's a crazy comparison..haha....conor never started insulting or accusing the guy of anything...in your scenario, they did...your scenario is like if conor went up to the guy and went "hey shithead, you better drink this or I'm going to bash your face in" but he did no such thing...all he did was pour the guy a drink...then the guy makes a big scene out of picking up the drink and moving away from him, slamming it on the bar...then did it again...then said what he said...this was after conor did nothing to provoke him...in your scenario, the rap lovers instigated it...

 

[ReadWrite]

You'd think with all his money he'd be able to afford a decent crisis management firm or whatever they call them now. The damage control on this one is pretty weak.

 

[froggyluv]

ummmm, that's a crazy comparison..haha....conor never started insulting or accusing the guy of anything...in your scenario, they did...your scenario is like if conor went up to the guy and went "hey shithead, you better drink this or I'm going to bash your face in" but he did no such thing...all he did was pour the guy a drink...then the guy makes a big scene out of picking up the drink and moving away from him, slamming it on the bar...then did it again...then said what he said...this was after conor did nothing to provoke him...in your scenario, the rap lovers instigated it...

I didnt see it play out like that -theres no way to know who started getting salty first but its disingenuous to say it was "just Conor trying to be a nice guy.." - we've all seen enough of his antics to know he's not just some nice guy who does nice things only to have old people tell him off. Conor was there for one thing - to promote himself, act the big shot and stroke his own ego (ok 3 things). Then when someone who obviously just wanted to be left alone, refused to stroke the tiny mans ego - tiny man got mad, insulted and acted out by assaulting the guy. It doesnt matter what the guy said, Conor was repeatedly invading HIS space and demanding he accept his 'generous offer'. Everyone has the right to be left alone- and Conor repeatedly transgressed that line.

 

[Beans & Cornbread]

how could that be genuine? it was directed to sports viewers not the guy he hit, and only after the bar video went viral.

 

[AP_RESURRECTION]

whn you are that big everything is calculated.

 

[Here's the thing]

I think that it was both a genuine apology as well as a PR move.

It was most definitely damage control but that doesn't mean that it wasn't also sincere. I think that he knows that he fucked up and so he apologized for it. But that televised apology also served a purpose in regards to his public image.

I completely disagree. He is a scumbag and an egomaniac. The ONLY reason he says he feels bad is because he doesn't want sales of his garbage whiskey to take a hit.

 

[fluffer]

https://www.thesun.ie/sport/mma/4477226/conor-mcgregor-attack-boxing-luke-keeler/

CONOR McGregor has launched a vile personal attack against an Irish boxing champion, the Irish Sun can reveal.

In a bizarre post, the shamed MMA star also referenced the deaths of Bobby Messett and Paul Kavanagh, both of whom were shot dead in recent years.

 

[lifer26]

He threw shots at everyone during the interview barely said sorry and now trying to angle a rematch with khabib lol

 

[L.T.]

It seriously confuses me that him saying he has no excuses and was completely in the wrong is now a "PR move"

What would you prefer him do? Try to justify punching an old man?

Your hate is making it so that no matter what he does, he's wrong

He said "the reality of what happened doesn't matter, I was in the wrong." What is the reality Conor? Would not admit to punching him, I'm ok with men not confessing to crimes on international TV but also said he was "a little hazy" insinuating maybe I did, maybe I didn't, I can't remember I was too drunk. Then why are you on TV apologizing Conor?

Now how is that taking responsibilty?

"He deserved it but I was wrong" is all I heard. Then Ariel was balls deep and I couldn't make out the rest of what he was saying.

 

[depassage222]

Real as it gets. He has always been genuine with his emotions.

Like his ballooned dick?

 

[depassage222]

He promised that he would defend his belts. He lied.
Why should he be truthful now?

 

[locust rising]

Spoiler

Summary: In this editorial, the author says Conor's apology was fake. His main argument is if it was real, he would have apologized at the time.

Conor McGregor's Apology Was A Shameless PR Move

Conor McGregor recently sat down with ESPN to do some public relations work. McGregor has not fought since Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted him in the main event of UFC 229, which took place in October 2018. Since then it seems the only time the UFC competitor has made the news is for a violent or vile indiscretion.

. . .

. . .

Earlier this month, TMZ released video from April of McGregor punching a bar patron in an Irish pub. The man's crime? He allegedly refused a drink from McGregor.

In a somewhat tone-deaf apology, McGregor attempted to paint himself as a victim of celebrity.

"I need to just stop reacting to the bait," McGregor told ESPN. "People are trying to bait me into things. Am I the fish? Or am I the whale? I must be calm. I must be calm. I must be zen. I must lead by example. There's so many people looking up to me. How can I react in this way? I need to get a hold of this."

McGregor then stressed how long it's been since he was last in trouble.

"It's been, what? Five months since that one? That's it," said McGregor. "I just have to take what comes and move on. I've learned from every single experience in my life and try to do right for the people who want me to do right. … But how can they back me in certain situations? I must understand that and grow as a man and make amends."

As apologies go, McGregor's fell short. He seemed contrite when he said, "I was in the wrong. That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it end the way it did. Although, five months ago it was, I tried to make amends. And I made amends back then. That doesn't even matter, I was in the wrong."

However, when he painted himself as a victim who was being baited into reacting violently, he lost any goodwill he had earned.

The entire interview came across as a calculated PR move by McGregor, his team and the UFC. What made thing worse was the timing.

Had McGregor apologized at the time of any of these incidents, he may have earned himself some sympathy. He didn't. He waited to apologize until he learned his popularity was on the wane and that fighters such as Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz were emerging as stars while McGregor sat in the sidelines.

The sad thing is that McGregor's transparent PR ploy seems to be working. The media has gloomed onto his apology and painted it as sincere, which is exactly the way McGregor and the UFC wanted it to play out. As long as McGregor doesn't have another run-in with the authorities, the UFC will be able to slot McGregor into a high-profile fight.

As we have found out over that past few years, that's a big if when it comes to the volatile fighter.

-Forbes

No shit bro.

Like we needed a thread about something we all already knew...

 

[Saku'sEar]

Spoiler

Summary: In this editorial, the author says Conor's apology was fake. His main argument is if it was real, he would have apologized at the time.

Conor McGregor's Apology Was A Shameless PR Move

Conor McGregor recently sat down with ESPN to do some public relations work. McGregor has not fought since Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted him in the main event of UFC 229, which took place in October 2018. Since then it seems the only time the UFC competitor has made the news is for a violent or vile indiscretion.

. . .

. . .

Earlier this month, TMZ released video from April of McGregor punching a bar patron in an Irish pub. The man's crime? He allegedly refused a drink from McGregor.

In a somewhat tone-deaf apology, McGregor attempted to paint himself as a victim of celebrity.

"I need to just stop reacting to the bait," McGregor told ESPN. "People are trying to bait me into things. Am I the fish? Or am I the whale? I must be calm. I must be calm. I must be zen. I must lead by example. There's so many people looking up to me. How can I react in this way? I need to get a hold of this."

McGregor then stressed how long it's been since he was last in trouble.

"It's been, what? Five months since that one? That's it," said McGregor. "I just have to take what comes and move on. I've learned from every single experience in my life and try to do right for the people who want me to do right. … But how can they back me in certain situations? I must understand that and grow as a man and make amends."

As apologies go, McGregor's fell short. He seemed contrite when he said, "I was in the wrong. That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it end the way it did. Although, five months ago it was, I tried to make amends. And I made amends back then. That doesn't even matter, I was in the wrong."

However, when he painted himself as a victim who was being baited into reacting violently, he lost any goodwill he had earned.

The entire interview came across as a calculated PR move by McGregor, his team and the UFC. What made thing worse was the timing.

Had McGregor apologized at the time of any of these incidents, he may have earned himself some sympathy. He didn't. He waited to apologize until he learned his popularity was on the wane and that fighters such as Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz were emerging as stars while McGregor sat in the sidelines.

The sad thing is that McGregor's transparent PR ploy seems to be working. The media has gloomed onto his apology and painted it as sincere, which is exactly the way McGregor and the UFC wanted it to play out. As long as McGregor doesn't have another run-in with the authorities, the UFC will be able to slot McGregor into a high-profile fight.

As we have found out over that past few years, that's a big if when it comes to the volatile fighter.

-Forbes

You forgot the most important part in your title!
Now i dont know how many 'followers' he has.

 

[PitDoggMMA]

Conor's apology is worse than fake, it's weak and desperate. His whole demeanor is weak and desperate.

The idea that that old man was trying to "bait" Conor is ludicrous. The truth is that man could give two shits about Conor or his whiskey. Conor is so weak, so insecure, he couldn't handle it that the man simply and authentically didn't care. So he punched an old man who was just minding his own business.

Conor's whole problem is that he is about as insecure a little man as is possible to be. His entire swag overcompensates for his emotional insecurity.

And his downfall stems from his total insecurity, deep down, as well as his total lack of self-control.

Both of these character weaknesses are also why he panics, gives his back, and quits the moment he's dominated, tired, and on the bottom of a better, stronger, authentically confident fighter (think Diaz, Khabib).

 

[Iron Wolf]

if he really is 50...that's not a senior citizen...haha that would make the rock nearly one..that would jason stathom one....see how crazy that is....70+ is a senior citizen.

I believe you are missing the point, Sir.

 

[Nunavut1]

Biggest excuse maker in combat sports. I wish my opinion mattered. Fuck Conor. I’ll stream his pay per views with the limited internet I have in the Arctic. I’ll pay for Diaz or Holloway Ppvs when they fight.

 

[jakeharris74]

A

 

[ki11ian]

It was obviously PR/damage control but it felt sincere enough to make it a net positive for me. I hope he gets his shit together and come back fighting soon.