It was an apology filled with tears and regret.
Montreal pro soccer coach and former player, Sandro Grande, admitted to and apologized for the offensive comments he made over a decade ago that sparked outrage from the community last week, when he was hired — and then fired — by CF Montreal.
“I am ashamed of myself and what I wrote over 10 years ago,” said Grande.
It all started on Jan. 9, in the hours following CF Montreal’s announcement to hire Grande as the head coach of its reserve team.
Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon took to Twitter to denounce the hiring and remind people of Grande’s 2012 tweet when he referenced the Metropolitis shooting involving Pauline Marois, saying the shooter made a mistake in missing his target.
“These words are not part of my values as a husband, as a son and especially as a father of two wonderful children,” Grande said tearfully.
Grande says he’s taking responsibility for his actions especially after his family was the target of death threats.
Since the firing, Grande wrote to Pauline Marois apologizing for the tweet.
He also said he would meet with the current PQ leader this weekend.
St-Pierre Plamondon later confirmed on Twitter that he intends to meet Grande in the coming days.
Public relations consultant Louis Aucoin says it was important for Grande to admit his mistake, especially if he wants a shot at work in the soccer world.
“Now I think Sandro Grande opened up the door to being back in the soccer business,” he said. “Either in FC Laval, where he was before, or even at CF Montreal.”
Grande says he had quit his previous job as technical director of FC Laval to take the head coach position of CF Montreal’s reserve team.
He admits he’s now out of a job and isn’t sure what or where he’ll go next, but says he’s not thinking about that right now.
He’s focused on his mental health and that of his family.