Before the Atlanta Braves’ game on Friday night, President John Schuerholz made a public apology regarding Tommy Glavine’s release on Wednesday.
When Glavine left Atlanta, he thought he was released on a financially based decision that was called for after he remained healthy throughout all the minor league rehab starts that were scheduled. However, the Braves argued that the decision was more performance-based.
Either way, the ending was much uglier than the Braves or Glavine would have wanted. Schuerholz said that he was bothered by the way the press conference on Wednesday was handled and has had trouble sleeping since then.
“I, as the president of our club, could have taken more time to not only explain the circumstances around our decision. Although we made that decision in unanimous fashion, I wanted to express our high regard for him and our view of him being with this organization for many years to come in some sort of connective fashion,” Schuerholz said. “I’m not regretting the decision making. I’m regretting the manner in which it was portrayed and explained to Tommy. I feel like I could have done a better job with that.”
After Wednesday’s press conference, Glavine left Atlanta with the idea that the Braves kept him in the minors, hoping that he might get hurt again so they could bring up Tommy Hanson and add him to their starting rotation.
“I just think there was a belief that I wouldn’t be healthy enough to make it back,” Glavine stated.
Glavine and many others expressed this emotion on Friday in a public statement. He also said that he feels betrayed by the organization that he spent 17 of his 22 Major League career seasons with.
Schuerholz said, “Tommy has his [feelings], and they’re all real. His are real and valid. There’s no disputing how he feels. I can understand all of that. This was a tough thing. I would have felt better about it if when I thought about it hours afterward that I had done a more effective job of portraying our respect for him in that decision making.”
“If they wanted to go in a different direction, then I think there should have been more of a candid conversation in that regard,” Glavine said. “Instead they spent the last day and a half telling everybody how bad I was.
“I think the level of honesty about what the decision was about could have been better. I don’t believe for a minute that this was entirely a performance-related issue, which I’m fine with. But I would have appreciated more honesty.”
