Clearly Plesac feels he and Clevinger didn't do anything to endanger anyone and there's a lot of anger at the media, which he described as "malicious". He added, "It breaks my heart for people to think I'm a bad teammate and a bad person". He claims he found some research that says there's no problem as long as the group is ten people or less and they maintain a distance of six feet. That sounds ridiculous. What if 9 of the 10 people are infected? He apparently spent hours with this group of friends at two different locations.
If a justification is included with an apology, the apology is trash to me. Anything extravagant or grandiose about your actions or future growth beyond normal conversation is also transparent.
I have found that the best way to move along isn't even to say "I'm sorry" or "I apologize." It's usually best to say what you should have done and what you will do. The simpler the better.
My two boys playing football and break a lamp.
Bad: "I'm sorry, I thought brick hands could catch."
Weird: "Today I have realized that taking care of other's possessions is pivotal in letting them know you understand their value. Throwing foam footballs made by Nerf, a subsidary of Hasbro, within the confines of these walls was not in the best interest of my parental units.
Good: "We shouldn't have thrown the football in here. We'll take it outside."
I miss a due date for an assignment at work:
Bad: "I apologize. I was helping Larry get his charts done before tomorrow's meeting"
Weird: "I have realized that my recent actions within this organization have caused a bottleneck that will affect many others outside of my current department. This does not reflect my true identity, but is only a hiccup in my normal performance."
Good: "I should have prioritized better. I'll get it to you today."