For the second time in as many days, Giants offensive tackle David Diehl has taken himself to task for being arrested for drunk driving on Sunday and vowed that he’ll be a changed man going forward.
“It’s a mistake that I guarantee will never, ever happen again,” Diehl said, via the New York Daily News. “I’m going to help other people make sure that they don’t make the same decision that I made in this circumstance. And I’m going to become a stronger person because of it.”
Diehl said he’d like to think he has built up a lot of good will in his decade with the Giants, but that he knows some people think this incident permanently stains his reputation -- and he knows he has only himself to blame for that.
“This is the one time that people are going to try to bring me down and say things about me,” Diehl said. “And that’s fine. I’m never going to make an excuse for anything. I’ve never made excuses for anything in my life. I’m going to do whatever it takes to let people know exactly who I am and what I stand for, and that this one decision does not reflect who I am as a person. Mistakes happen to everybody. Mistakes happen. I’m a prime example.”
Several of Diehl’s teammates have come forward over the last two days to lend their support, and Giants coach Tom Coughlin called Diehl “very sorry for what happened.” Everyone in the Giants’ locker room seems to agree that this was out of character for Diehl, and that they believe him when he promises it will never happen again.