Ron Washington: "I Made A Mistake"

IRVING (CBSDFW.COM) - After almost two weeks of silence and public speculation, former Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington finally spoke out about why he left the baseball club during a news conference in Las Colinas Thursday.

Washington walked into the news conference, 13 days after his resignation, with his attorney and wife, Gerry.  His wife did not take the stage with him as Washington spoke to a hotel meeting room full of reporters.

"I made a mistake, and I am embarrassed," said Washington reading from a prepared statement.  "I was not true to my wife after 42 years. I broke her trust. I am here today to own that mistake."

Washington did not disclose what he did to break his wife's trust, and he did not take any questions.  He said he was more embarrassed than he had ever been in his life and described this as a "very low time" in his life.

"I don't run when I make a mistake.  When you put yourself in situations, you own it.  Those are the types of things my wife always say to me."

"All I ask is for your forgiveness and understanding," Washington continued. He also asked for privacy during this time, but expressed hope that he could return to major league baseball sometime in the future.

"I want to give a final thanks to the fans, Texas Rangers fans. "You've been good to me," Washington said at the close of his statement. "I will miss the Metroplex, and I will miss you."

Washington's statement lasted just a few minutes, before he walked out of the room with his arm around his wife's shoulder.

Fans seemed sympathetic to the former manager.

"You know when things are good at home, you're probably not good on the field during your work life," said fan Hannah Roehr. "So, it's good that he's facing the problems that are going on in his life. And hopefully things will get better."

But, while sympathetic, some fans still aren't clear why "Wash" had to quit the team.

"Yeah, it's one of those things where you really want -- you really need more," said fan Nick Scott.  "It's one of those need more information type of situations."

When Washington announced his surprise resignation on September 5, he said it was to devote his "full attention to addressing an off-the-field personal matter" and was in no way related to the team's disappointing season.

Washington also expressed his regret for letting down the Rangers organization and the team's fans.  He served eight years as the teams manager beginning in 2006, and lead them to five winning seasons from 2009-2013.

It was during the 2009 season that Washington tested positive for cocaine.  He offered his resignation after admitting that he made a huge mistake, but the team would not accept it.  Washington said his resignation was not in anyway tied to his past drug use history.

Washington also played 20 seasons as a professional baseball player in the minor and major leagues, before spending four years as a minor league coach and 11 seasons as an assistant in Oakland.

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