Shortly after the public got wind of a Youtube video featuring Oregon State play-by-play man Mike Parker drunk in Denny's and eating a napkin with a fork, Parker took to the radio airwaves to both confirm his identity in the video and respond to the video. To say it was heartbreaking to hear him speak about the situation would be an understatement. There's no question he feels bad both about his actions and the embarrassment he's cause Oregon State.
You can find the interview here, courtesy of KPAM.
Parker says, essentially, that he's a high-functioning alcoholic. And if there's a positive to come from the video for him, it may be that seeing himself and feeling that shame may have a profound, positive impact on his life. Not only did he show contrition: He showed a desire to change his ways.
Here is a snippet of the interview.
"It's embarrassing, it's shameful, it's humiliating. I've had some long-standing issues with alcohol that I've dealt with unsuccessfully off-and-on through the years. I've not really faced head-on the reality and the depth of my issues. This type of thing brings me literally face-to-face with how bad they really are"
Oregon State is standing behind Parker, as it should. He truly sounds like a broken man and spent the interview fighting back tears while lamenting his actions and the embarrassment they caused. And after a long, grueling day in which his identity was discovered and the video spread like wildfire, Parker deserves a lot of credit for going on the radio and addressing the underlying problems.
Best of luck to Parker. I hope that somehow he can find a way to turn this in a positive and get the help he needs and wants.