Ozzie Guillen: 'When I Was A Player, You Could Say Whatever You Wanted'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- No stranger to controversy, Ozzie Guillen on Thursday said professional athletes need to be more mindful than ever about their behavior.
The former White Sox manager addressed the media spotlight facing sports professionals, following Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw's one-game suspension by the NHL for shouting homophobic slurs during late in a Game 4 playoff loss against the Blues earlier this week
"In the past, when I was a player, you could say whatever you wanted," Guillen said Thursday on the Mully and Hanley Show. "Right now, so many people are so sensitive, there is so many media and there is so much social media."
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"Before when you said something in Chicago, it stayed in Chicago," Guillen said. "Now you say something, and it goes all around the world in less than 10 seconds.
"That's why you have to be careful what you are saying, who you say it to, when to say it."
Guillen managed the White Sox from 2004-'11, including leading them to the 2005 World Series title. He was always a colorful quote and often the center of controversy, big or small. He was once disciplined for using a gay slur in reference to former Sun-Times sports columnist Jay Mariotti.
Guillen left the White Sox after the 2011 season after a falling out with White Sox executive Kenny Williams. He managed the Marlins in 2012 and has a career .513 winning percentage.
