“I am sorry for any inaccuracies that I made” - When Blue Jays manager Tim Johnson apologized for falsely claiming his service in the US military
Since their establishment in 1977, the Toronto Blue Jays have seen a number of successes and failures in their history. Although the team has endured a disappointing 2024 season, the continued production of stars such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is an encouraging sign for the future.
That being said, even though the Toronto Blue Jays have enjoyed several memorable moments, including back-to-back mlb-world-series" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">World Series titles in 1992 and 1993, they are not without their fair share of questionable incidents. One such episode came only a few years after the team had won its first championship.
Tim Johnson, who spent time with the club as an infielder, eventually made the jump to coaching, becoming Toronto's manager for the 1998 season. Things initially got off on the right foot for Johnson and the Blue Jays, leading the club to its first winning season since its back-to-back titles. That being said, things quickly spiraled out of control for Johnson.
Johnson used many different techniques to motivate his squad, as well as to explain his decisions to members of the team, often regaling his players with stories of his time spent in the Vietnam War. While this worked, there was only one problem: Johnson never fought in the Vietnam War.
Once this revelation came to light, Johnson's clock was ticking with the Blue Jays.
"Any statements I made that led people to believe I served in Vietnam were wrong, and I am sorry for any inaccuracies or misrepresentations that I made," Johnson said in an apology to the organization.
After the 1998 season, Johnson remained as Toronto's manager heading into the new year. However, complaints and questions continued to circle the manager, eventually leading to his dismissal from the Blue Jays. Johnson has never worked in the MLB again.
Toronto Blue Jays struggled for several years following Tim Johnson's dismissal
Johnson's fabricated stories about serving in the Vietnam War led to his firing from the team but also allegedly helped the Jays put together a winning season. Although lying to his players and the organization his military history led to the end of his career in the MLB, the 1998 season saw the team finish with its best record for nearly two decades.
Following Johnson's dismissal from Toronto, the Jays failed to put together a season with a winning percentage of over .543% until 2015. Although the use of fake Vietnam War stories may have been questionable at best, there is no denying that he was able to get the best out of his roster.