Astros Shouldn't Get Away With PR Nightmare Just Because They Fired Brandon Taubman

On Thursday, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that the Houston Astros fired assistant GM Brandon Taubman after he made inappropriate comments to a group of female reporters during their celebration in the clubhouse following their ALCS victory.

Frankly, this move came a few days late.

In a statement announcing the firing of Brandon Taubman, the Astros admitted their initial accounting of the incident in the clubhouse was incorrect — “We were wrong,” it says — and offered an apology to @stephapstein, the reporter who first wrote about it. pic.twitter.com/5yjRrmvVVl
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 24, 2019

In the club's statement, they apologize to Sports Illustrated and the reporter from that publication who wrote it up, Stephanie Apstein. And even in Jeff Luhnow's press conference, he stated he hadn't directly apologized to Apstein despite the fact she was sitting right in front of him. How bad of a look is that?

Just because you fired the guy, it doesn't absolve you from common decency and extending the "apology" even further.

The Astros also "apologized" for Stephanie Apstein, but only for the fact that she witnessed the event? Not for brazenly attacking her character and trying to throw cold water on her accurate first-hand reporting. Tick, tick!
— Adam Weinrib (@AdamWeinrib) October 24, 2019

I'm sure the Astros just want this whole story to go away, especially since they are in the midst of the World Series, but it's only just beginning. MLB will begin and investigation into the incident this offseason, and they're unlikely to be satisfied with Houston's self-imposed solution. More must be done.

And this doesn't end with the PR department, either. The entire organization approved these statements, and they all must answer for that ineptitude. MLB, for once, must prove they're a progressive league and can put an end to these types of controversies.