Michigan’s Democratic attorney general apologized Wednesday after she drank so much booze before last month’s Michigan-Michigan State football game that she became ill, was unable to walk on her own, and had to be taken out of the stadium in a wheelchair.
She shared a photo of herself on Facebook slumped over in her seat at Spartan Stadium on Oct. 30 with a Michigan hat covering her face, barely conscious.
Dana Nessel, a longtime Democratic Party leader in the state, said she drank on an empty stomach while attending a tailgate party. She joked that “as long as you put enough vegetables in [a Bloody Mary], it’s practically a salad.”
A Bloody Mary is a cocktail of vodka and tomato juice often used in the morning to “cure” a hangover.
“It’s a liquor-soaked nutritional breakfast and hangover cure all in one red package, and it’s one of the few cocktails that is socially acceptable to drink first thing in the morning,” Liquor.com writes.
Nessel admitted that she felt ill at the game and feared she’d throw up on her constituents — she joked about “Roman showers” being unpopular — and said she needed help walking up the stairs before being put in a wheelchair and being wheeled to the parking lot. She said a designated driver took her home.
“I am human. Sometimes I screw up,” she said. “This was definitely one of those times. My apologies to the entire state of Michigan for this mishap, but especially that Michigan fan sitting behind me. Some things you can’t un-see.”
Nessel has said she is running for reelection in 2022.
She posted the following apology on social media —
MY OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON “TAILGATE-GATE”:
My staff has pleaded with me to hire a crisis-management PR firm for an incident that occurred on 10/30 at the UM/MSU football game. Instead, I thought I would just share the events which transpired that fateful day.
Before the big game, I attended a tailgate on an empty stomach. Much to my surprise, MSU tailgate’s tend to have more alcohol than food, so I thought it seemed like a good idea to eat 2 Bloody Mary’s, since as long as you put enough vegetables in them, it’s practically a salad. As it turned out, this was not a brilliant idea. Also, I might be a terrible bartender.
I proceeded to go to the game (which I’m told Michigan definitely won!) and started to feel ill. I laid low for a while, but my friends recommended that I leave so as to prevent me from vomiting on any of my constituents (polling consistently shows “Roman showers” to be unpopular among most demographics).
I had a few folks help me up the stairs and someone grabbed a wheelchair so as to prevent me from stumbling in the parking lot. Like all smart people attending festivities where drinking occurs, I had a designated driver. I went home, fell asleep on the couch, and my wife threw some blankets on me and provided me with some water and Tylenol for what she knew would be a skull-crushing hangover the next day. (Best wife ever!)
So there. That’s the scandalous tale of the events which transpired at Tailgate-Gate. (Also at some point it seemed like a good idea to make the governor take a picture with Ron Weiser. Sorry Governor!). Just so one doesn’t have to imagine what this scene might have looked like, I’ve attached this handy photo.
Normally I would ask my trusted friend and communications savant Kelly Rossman-McKinney for advice on how to best handle this crisis, but she died last night, so I can’t.
I am human. Sometimes I screw up. This was definitely one of those times. My apologies to the entire state of Michigan for this mishap, but especially that Michigan fan sitting behind me. Some things you can’t un-see.
From now on, I pledge never to drink on an empty stomach, and definitely never to have another Bloody Mary. Cause it’s gonna take a while to get that taste out of my mouth.
Sorry to all the people who have supported me for letting you down. I will try to do better.
Critics pushed back and said Nessel has been “out of control” for years.
Dana Nessel has been out of control for years and now admits it. The issue isn't that she got embarrassingly drunk at our state’s most-watched public event, it's that she is completely erratic, irrational, and lacks judgment. (1/2) https://t.co/2nVOYiZMOm
— Tori Sachs (@Tori_Sachs) November 11, 2021
The Associated Press contributed to this article