Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame quarterback and FOX broadcaster, Terry Bradshaw had a bad day 11 days ago. If you are unaware at this point, Bradshaw unleashed a heated social media rant against Walmart after the retail giant supplied an all-too-common signature shopping experience to him and his family. The likable legend found his way to Facebook on Sunday to express that he lost his temper:
"Everybody is saying talk about Walmart. Well, Walmart was just a bad day. I kind of reached the end of my rope that day. Walked out of there, thought none of it and went on about my business. Unfortunately, everyone in Springfield on Tik-Tok, Tok-Tik whatever, has been talking about Walmart. I got no problem with Walmart."
Bradshaw has been in the public eye for well over half a century now and his public image is that of a good ole country boy. I have not seen or heard anything in all these years to contradict that perception. He has occasionally gotten himself into trouble on social media by speaking his mind, but he has always been quick to apologize if his mouth was quicker than his mind. An admirable trait the world could use more of nowadays.
SAN DIEGO, CA - DECEMBER 17: Quarterback Terry Bradshaw #12 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs onto the field for the second half during an NFL game against the San Diego Chargers at San Diego Stadium on December 17, 1972 in San Diego, California. The Steelers defeated the Chargers 24-2 (Photo by James Flores /Getty Images)
When I wrote the story about his rant last Sunday, Bradshaw had already posted his Facebook recant and some of the most vocal criticisms of my piece, and there were many, was that the former Steelers quarterback should have visited a local business instead of Walmart. If you did not watch his follow up, I encourage you to watch it. He takes time to do exactly that, giving credit to a local baker for an utterly delectable looking apple pie.
You can view the video on his Facebook page here.
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Bradshaw, who was in Springfield, IL at the 2022 Palomino World Show, seems to be really enjoying the fact that his horses had won seven world championships and that his granddaughter Zuri Hester shared in the glory. He really goes out of his way to thank the residents of Springfield for their hospitality and inadvertently doxes himself while bragging about the accommodations at the local Marriott Residence Inn. Bradshaw even found some room in his heart for the retail giant that disappointed him:
"Wonderful things here in Springfield, and Walmart I am sure is one of them. So, we need to let that die folks, I know I did."
TV personalities can sometimes portray a character on screen, a persona. The NFL on FOX personality has never come across that way. I do not think he is remorseful for what he said about Walmart and moreover, I don’t he should be apologetic. Bradshaw is a good guy and his concern for the injury he may have done to regular folks in Springfield seems genuine and frankly after a half century in the public eye, the national media would delight in exposing him as less than his public persona.
Walmart is said to have reached out privately to Bradshaw and his family to rectify the situation. This is a bigger issue in my opinion. How exactly, after spending an hour and completing the purchase, did Walmart rectify the situation? The former Steelers quarterback has let the incident go and I am sure they did speak to him about the situation, but what did they do to ensure a less famous customer does not have the same experience?
Bradshaw publicly exposed a pain point for the many people who not only read the story, but commented so passionately on SteelerNation.com. We also heard from some great Walmart employees who expressed their frustrations with how a customer was treated, while relating how they are overworked and underpaid. My question is why did we hear from great working people and not Walmart corporate?
I doubt that the local store manager was responsible for reaching out to Terry Bradshaw. He got a response from a savvy public relations person or a senior member of management. It is not because he is a celebrity or better than anyone else, it is because the rant went viral, so they did damage control. If they were really interested in damage control, maybe they could issue a public apology and a vow to do better in the future? It would be lip service to be sure, but since when did multi-billion-dollar corporations not even bother with halfhearted apologies anymore?
It is not the Steelers Hall of Honor member's responsibility to champion our causes in relation to Walmart or share what the retailer did to address his frustration. Bradshaw apologized for getting angry because he is a decent man. Walmart should consider apologizing for making him mad. It has been 11 days; I am guessing they won’t.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Does Walmart owe the public a statement, if not an apology? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
