Luis Suarez's Racism "Apology" Shows He, Dalglish, Liverpool Still Don't Get It

Finally, following weeks of investigation and five days after the FA issued a 115-page document detailing findings into an act of racism on the field that led to Liverpool striker Luis Suarez getting an eight-game ban and £40,000 fine…finally we got an apology from Suarez.

Or did we?

Suarez has yet to publicly apologize to Manchester United defender Patrice Evra after calling him "negro" on the field during a game. He has admitted to using the term once, not seven times like Evra accused, and defended his use by explaining the word translates in his native Spanish as "black" or "blackie," nothing more derogatory than that. Wednesday, Suarez finally apologized for something. Maybe.

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"I admitted to the commission that I said a word in Spanish once, and only once, and I told the panel members that I will not use it again on a football pitch in England. I never, ever used this word in a derogatory way and if it offends anyone, then I want to apologise for that."

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Suarez issued the classic "I'm sorry if you were offended," which isn't really an apology at all.

If you have an hour, you can delve into the specifics of the FA investigation outlined at The Guardian, which explain that Evra complained to the referee both on the pitch and following the match about Suarez's use of the term "negro."

Suarez admitted to using the term, but still contends it was done in a "conciliatory and friendly way," going so far as to assert in his first statement following the suspension (in which he notably did not apologize) that the term is commonplace in Uruguay and not racist at all:

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"In my country, 'negro' is a word we use commonly, a word which doesn't show any lack of respect and is even less so a form of racist abuse. Based on this, everything which has been said so far is totally false.

"I will carry out the suspension with the resignation of someone who hasn't done anything wrong and who feels extremely upset by the events. I do feel sorry for the fans and for my team-mates whom I will not be able to help during the next month. It will be a very difficult time for me."

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Suarez didn't get it when he made that first statement, and he doesn't get it now.

Using a term commonly used in your home country doesn't mean it isn't offensive elsewhere in the world. Even if Suarez is right (something the FA clearly thinks he's not) and his one-time use of the term "negro" came when he responded to Evra saying "Don't touch me, South American," by asking, "Por que, tu eres negro," translated "Why, you are black," that's STILL racist and that STILL has no place in the game.

In a way, I can see Suarez staunchly defending himself with his recent comments, even if his tacit apology game five days too late. What I will never understand, however, is how Liverpool has handled this situation.

From the outset, Liverpool has defended their player, especially in light of the fact that other players on the pitch couldn't corroborate Evra's accusations and video evidence was rather subjective.

While printing and wearing T-shirts to support Suarez started to send the wrong message about racial tolerance in the game (even if Liverpool wanted to support their player, doing so in that manner made it feel like Suarez was the victim, not the accused) they should have shut up about it after the FA decision was made. 

In the club's official statement after Suarez was suspended, the club continued to bash Evra for inflaming the situation, going so far as to question his credibility and dispute his claims while calling the case "highly subjective," before stating they would not appeal the ban.

But it didn't stop there. Following Liverpool's loss at Manchester City on Jan. 3, manager Kenny Dalglish went off about the FA's decision when asked by reporters:

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"There's a lot of things we'd like to say and a lot we could say, but we would only get ourselves in trouble. We are not trying to be evasive…well, we are being evasive because we don't like getting ourselves in trouble. But we know what has gone on. We know what is not in the report and that's important for us. So without me getting ourselves in trouble, I think that's it finished."

Of course, it wasn't finished. Dalglish went on to defend wearing the t-shirts to support Suarez, saying, "You see, if one of you guys were in trouble, would you help him? Would you support him if you knew the truth and you knew it was right? Would you support him?"

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He called the statement "fabulous" and, again, made reference to the fact that the public doesn't know "the whole content of what went on at the hearing." Dalglish wasn't on the field with Evra and Suarez, so he doesn't know "the truth" about what happened.

By suggesting he knows "the truth," Dalglish is clearly indicating he believes Suarez has been wronged and Evra is a liar.

That's not exactly making Liverpool look sympathetic to the issue of racism in the game, is it?

Reports indicate that Dalglish and Liverpool think the FA guided Evra through his testimony in an effort to make a stronger case against Suarez, ultimately insinuating the FA is wrapped up in a conspiracy against their player and club.

Even if that's the case…even if the FA is a corrupt organization somehow out to get one of Liverpool's top players…Suarez admitted to using a term that was highly offensive to a player on the other team.

Just because he uses the term in practice and teammates like Glen Johnson don't get offended by it doesn't mean that Evra, in the heat of a game, would think it was a friendly statement and not one of the most derogatory things you can call a man of color.

There is no place for racism in the game, especially between players on the field who should be leading by example for those in the stands. Even if Suarez feels he was wronged, even if Liverpool feel this whole thing is just one big misunderstanding rolled into a conspiracy, the minute they decided not to appeal the ban, they should have apologized for their role in the situation and shut up.

Instead, they keep making it worse.