When you apologize, when you truly feel remorseful for what you've done, you don't equivocate.
You don't spin.
You don't gaslight.
You own it, ask for forgiveness, and if necessary, work to mend fences with those you've hurt.
It's not easy; we're not saying it is. But it's what must be done.
And yet on Friday, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden went with spin and gaslighting as a means of trying to explain the email he sent in 2011 that used tired, racist language to describe NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith.