Oscar De La Hoya has no one to blame but himself about bad behavior

Mike Gallagher

Aug 31, 2011 - 13:44

Sep 17, 2011 - 02:58

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Oscar De La Hoya has no one to blame but himself about bad behavior

Oscar De La Hoya tells Univision about his battles with drugs and alcohol in recent interview.

Oscar De La Hoya has confirmed what those in boxing have known for some time - he was addicted to drugs and alcohol and he cheated on his wife. This falls under the heading of another bad-boy athlete doing the wrong things.

De La Hoya made the admission during an interview on the Spanish-language TV network Univision. He also said in his darkest moments he considered suicide.

"Rock bottom was recently," he said. "Within a couple of years, just thinking if my life was even worth it. I don't have the strength, I don't have the courage to take my own life but I was thinking about it."

The taished Golden Boy.

This is all poignant stuff, played out before a television audience. While confession may be good for the soul, it doesn't absolve poor judgment and bad behavior.

It seems there is a chapter in the sports/celebrity PR handbook that covers this: Athlete or celebrity behaves badly, blames it on alcohol and drugs or some other addiction (sex is popular). Goes into rehab, comes out, admits problems publicly, seeks sympathy, awaits public forgiveness, and continues with life as if nothing happened. If you can complete this course in six months, you can probably not realize any significant loss in eaings.

De La Hoya even invoked the name of Tiger Woods, apparently now considered the ultimate in bad behavior, saying about the golfer's infidelity, "We are obviously not talking a Tiger Woods here, but I was unfaithful."

I'm not minimizing De La Hoya's or anybody else's problems with drugs, alcohol, sex addiction or anything else that's harmful. I'm happy that De La Hoya realized he had a problem, sought help by checking into rehab in May, and now appears to be on his way to recovery. He says he's been sober for three months now. That is truly commendable.

But where is the personal accountability for his poor judgment and bad behavior? A man who was disciplined enough to train and box for more than 30 years surely must have been able to exercise some discipline in his personal life. What about the personal wreckage that he's left in his wake - a strained marriage, a damaged reputation? What about the embarrassment that he's caused his wife and the confusion that his children must be going through?

He has no one to blame for that but himself and he shouldn't be let off the hook for that. And neither should those around him who covered up his drug and alcohol problems.

Everyone in boxing knew that De La Hoya had trouble with alcohol. Early in his career there were stories of wild nights at nightclubs in Cabo San Lucas where he partied like a frat boy on spring break. There were the lawsuits that followed all those wild nights. There was always someone there to cover up the mess or sweep it aside to keep it from blowing up publicly.

Remember those racy photos of De La Hoya that appeared on the Inteet in 2007, all glassy-eyed, wearing fishnets and posing provocatively? That was a cry for help if I've ever seen one.

Instead we were told that the pictures were photoshopped by someone looking to embarrass De La Hoya. The better course may have been acknowledging that alcohol addiction had led him to an embarrassing place.

There is nothing embarrassing about admitting that you have a problem and need help. It's worst to cover it up and continue the same destructive behavior.

In the interview with Univision, De La Hoya admitted that his cocaine addiction was recent, perhaps within the last two years or so.

"It took me to a place where I felt safe, it took me to a place where I felt as if nobody can say anything to me, it took me to a place where I just can reach out and grab my mom," he said.

He was talking about his mother, Cecilia, who died of breast cancer two years before he won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. His story was one of the most heartwarming of the '92 Games as he talked about how important it was for him to win that medal for his mother.

What would she have said about his bad behavior?

That Olympic run, and his story, made him an instant star. It didn't hurt that he had matinee idol good looks. That star power and his skill in the ring made him a multi-millionaire. As his boxing career faded De La Hoya made a successful transition into the business world by developing Golden Boy Enterprises, which included his own boxing promotion company, Golden Boy Promotions.

De La Hoya's boxing career ended in the most unspectacular manner when he was pounded by Manny Pacquiao before quitting on his stool in the eighth round in 2008. He retired in 2009. That memory couldn't have helped him psychologically. But he could have poured himself into work and sought solace from his wife and kids.

It has become all too easy for athletes and celebrities to put their bad personal decisions, poor judgment and immoral behavior in the addiction basket. If they have a problem, seek help, get straightened out. Don't rationalize it and don't feel the need to tell me about it.