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Note to Chris Brown: don’t blame your lawyer
By Lauren | July 21, 2009
Chris Brown’s sudden apology on YouTube for beating up his former girlfriend, Rihanna, raises a host of questions. Brown hospitalized Rihanna on February 8th, almost six months ago. So why did it take him so long to apologize? Here’s what Brown had to say: “Since February, my attorney has advised me not to speak out, even though ever since the incident I wanted to publicly express my deepest regret and accept full responsibility.”
Okay Chris, then why are you apologizing now?
Brown pled guilty to one count of felony assault and, according to press reports, he’s reached a plea bargain with prosecutors. However, he won’t be sentenced until August 5th and, in his YouTube video, Brown made reference to other unresolved legal issues. (It may be that Rihanna is contemplating a civil lawsuit.) So if Brown was too worried about his legal risks to apologize in February, shouldn’t he still be concerned?
Somehow, Brown’s cry of “my lawyer made me do it” rings a little hollow. Lawyers offer advice, but it’s up to the client to decide whether to follow that advice or not. If Brown was truly eager to apologize, he probably could have done so as soon as his plea bargain was reached. He already admitted that he assaulted Rhianna - would apologizing really have made him seem more guilty? And couldn’t his lawyer have helped him find a way to apologize without significantly increasing his legal risks?
Whatever his intent may be, Brown’s belated apology seems less like a sincere expression of regret than a self-interested attempt to repair his badly damaged public image. Unfortunately, by blaming his lawyer for his silence until now, Brown may have done his reputation a lot more harm than good.
Topics: Apologies, Personal Ethics, Risk Management, customer relations, ethics |