Darrell Bailey is 'Clipper Darrell' again
First he was Darrell Bailey. Then he was Clipper Darrell. Then he was just Darrell Bailey again. But now he's back to being Clipper Darrell.
By
Royce Young
•
2 min read
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| Darrell Bailey is back to being Clipper Darrell. Yay? (Getty Images) |
A few weeks ago, Darrell Bailey set off a wild media firestorm with a blog post titled "I AM DEVASTATED!!!" on his website claiming the Clippers requested that he remove his unofficial affiliation with the organization from his name. The Clippers responded by basically assassinating the fanhood of their most famous supporter, saying that he was essentially only in it for the money.
The 15 minutes of this story appeared to climaxed when Clipper Darrell "cried" on TV. It appeared to be over.
But now? Now he's back to being Clipper Darrell as he announced on his blog:
I’M BACK!What caused the change of heart? Who knows. From all accounts and appearances, the Clippers have been incredibly accomodating to Darrell Bailey over the years, even paying for his tickets when he ran into financial troubles.
It is with great enthusiasm and humility that I can officially report my return as “Clipper Darrell.” As a fan I am truly sorry and apologize for any inconvenience this incident may have caused. It was never my intention to create a distraction fueling a media uproar. However, I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support I received, over the past week, when my status with the Clipper’s was in question. I had a cordial and productive meeting with Clipper management and we have a clear and precise understanding of my role.
We will now work together to support OUR TEAM and continue the effort in bringing a WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP to CLIPPER NATION! Last nights game was bittersweet; our team lost a close one but I was proud to be back cheering, wearing the red white and blue. I’ve given my blood, sweat and many tears to the Clippers for over 15 years only for my LOVE of the team and will continue to do so. I would like to thank the Clipper organization and players for their generosity and support over the years. I have only acted in a professional and respectable manner in the capacity as “Clipper Darrell.” To all Clipper fans; UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL!
LET’S GO CLIPPERS, LET’S GO!
But the organization was handed a pretty solid black eye when Darrell announced the team was taking away his famous first name. It was seen as only something Donald Sterling would do. Allow him to be Clipper Darrell as the team toiled in relative anonymity, but now that Lob City is a national story, cut ties with your loyal supporter. It didn't look good for the team, despite their best efforts at damage control.
I'm glad we can put this all behind us now. The organization and Clipper Darrell sorted out their differences, came to an understanding and now he can go back to wear his obnoxious red and white suits and yelling loudly at games at opposing players. Just not mooching off the organization. Glad we got that settled.
