(Laval) “I am ashamed of myself and of what I wrote more than 10 years ago,” dropped Sandro Grande, emotional, during a press conference in a Laval hotel on Thursday. The Montrealer has apologized to all those he “hurt with his words” in the aftermath of the Metropolis attack in 2012.
Nine days after being hired as reserve team coach at CF Montreal, then fired 15 hours later, Sandro Grande spoke publicly for the first time about the controversy that made headlines last week. The press conference lasted nearly 45 minutes.
In a heartfelt opening remark, the 45-year-old offered his thoughts to the victims of the September 4, 2012 attack, mentioning having written and sent a letter to Pauline Marois in order to “offer [s]my most sincere apologies”. “I was honored to receive a touching response from him,” he said.
Recall that a little over 10 years ago, Grande wrote on Twitter that “the only mistake the shooter made last night was missing his target”, namely Mme Marois. “Next time my man! I hope ! “, he added. At the time, he claimed to have been the target of hacking. Never, before Thursday, had he made a public apology for this or admitted to being the author of the message.
Grande noted that an upcoming meeting is scheduled with Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who was an early critic of the CFM’s decision last week. The two men have already discussed in the last few days. On Twitter, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon welcomed the fact that Grande “recognizes and takes full responsibility for his remarks” and indicated that he recognized “the sincerity of his approach”.
“What I wrote in 2012 is unacceptable. Those words are not part of my values as a husband, son, and most importantly…” Grande said before pausing, tears in her eyes. ” [Surtout en tant que] father of two wonderful children who have had to go through extremely difficult times. »
“Know that I am grateful to the province of Quebec, which welcomed my parents in the 1950s. My parents are very proud to have called Quebec their home. »
Death threats
Over the past few days, Sandro Grande, his wife and their two children have received numerous comments, including death threats. It is for this reason that the father of the family does not “think about the continuation” for the moment, he who finds himself without a job.
“The important thing is to keep our sanity. Mine is not the most important. The most important is that of my children and my wife. Imagine that the week before, they were very happy that I returned after a long time to the CF Montreal family. »
Grande was first approached by the CFM for the position of head coach of the reserve team. The Montrealer had then applied, “like all the other candidates”. His 2012 publications had been discussed in an interview.
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Sandro Grande
I said that, for a long time, I showed that I changed, that I learned. I think after this conversation, [Gabriel Gervais, président et chef de la direction du club] was convinced that I was the best person for the job.
Sandro Grande
When his hiring was formalized, Grande left his position as technical director of FC Laval, which he had held since 2021. On Monday, January 9, a little before 6:30 p.m., the club announced Grande’s arrival in a press release. . At a press conference the next day, Gabriel Gervais explained that the club “expected there to be disgruntled people”, but not that the wave took on such a “magnitude”.
Asked how CFM handled the situation, Grande remained cautious.
“It’s hard to say what would have been the best process,” he replied. I have known Gabriel Gervais for a long time. For 11 years, I have worked in several organizations and they have seen Sandro Grande grow. For them, they chose the best person to be U23 head coach.
“I am sad, because finally I had the opportunity to return to the club that I have supported for a long time, to work with my friends, from the world that I have known for a long time. The way that [la nouvelle] has been forwarded, these are questions for [les dirigeants du CFM]. I’m not a public relations guy, that’s not my job. »
Grande said CF Montreal had “offered help” to her following the events of the past week. He also consults a psychologist.
Heal
As to whether he believes he will be forgiven by the people, Sandro Grande replied that “the only way to regain respect is to show who I am”. He recalled having offered, in recent years, conferences to the young people of the National Center for High Performance. “As I did with my children, I tried to explain that social networks are an extraordinary tool, but also dangerous. »
We are never too old to mature. […] I have done everything for 10 years in the community to show who I am.
Sandro Grande
“All I can do is pass the message on to my children. I have just two children at home, but I have met hundreds of them and each has a special place in my heart. »
Grande gives himself a few weeks, even months, “to heal”, but he still has hopes of one day working for CF Montreal. Gabriel Gervais, Olivier Renard and the Saputo family “have all [s]on number,” he said.
“And if the people are okay with that, I would be very happy to go back. Still, it’s the club in my town, the one I’ve always supported. »