Mike Parker, the radio voice of Oregon State athletics, said he is receiving treatment for alcohol abuse after the appearance of a YouTube video that showed him eating a napkin while heavily intoxicated at a Denny's restaurant, The Oregonian reported Wednesday.
"The wrongdoing feels deep within the heart, whether there was anything illegal or not, I'm deeply ashamed for putting myself in a position," Parker said Tuesday. "To be in that kind of state, and so obviously terribly impaired from the alcohol that I could not be aware of what I was doing, is very frightening. It's embarrassing, it's shameful, it's humiliating."
The video, posted on YouTube three months ago, was taken at an LA-area Denny's by diners in the adjoining booth. The Beavers' men's basketball team was in LA at the time to play USC and UCLA.
Parker, 52, who characterized his alcohol problems as "long-standing," said he had not seen the video until a co-worker brought it to his attention seven weeks ago.
"People tell me in the meetings I've been to and in the program I've been in that sometimes a person has to hit bottom to really begin to rise up out of it," he said. "I think I've had some arrogance that I can beat this on my own or some pride that I don't really have an issue, that I'm OK and I've never really faced head-on the reality or depth of my issues."
Oregon State confirmed Tuesday it supports Parker as he seeks treatment for his alcohol issues. Parker said Tuesday he is "deeply grateful" that the university is supporting him, adding "(I) hope I live to justify it."
Parker has done radio play-by-play for Oregon State sports for the past 12 years.
