Michigan attorney general recounts ‘scandalous tale’ of 2 bloody marys at football game

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel wants to remind her constituents she is human — and sometimes that means she messes up.

This reminder came in her “official statement on ‘tailgate-gate’” posted to Facebook on Nov. 10. “Tailgate-gate” is how she described the events leading her to leave the University of Michigan vs. Michigan State football game early on Oct. 30.

Her “scandalous tale” begins with attending a pre-game tailgate with an empty stomach, according to her statement.

“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,” she wrote. “As it turned out, this was not a brilliant idea. Also, I might be a terrible bartender.”

Following those two alcoholic drinks, she headed to the game and said she started feeling sick. Friends recommended she leave, “so as to prevent me from vomiting on any of my constituents,” Nessel added.

Agreeing to leave, Nessel wrote that a few people helped her up the stadium stairs, when someone got her a wheelchair so she wouldn’t stumble in the parking lot.

A designated driver then took her home, where she says she fell asleep on the couch.

“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,” the attorney general wrote.

Nessel says her staff pleaded with her to hire a public relations firm that specializes in crisis management following the incident.

“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,” she added. Rossman-McKinney was a public relations professional who died of cancer, according to local reports.

So, Nessel preferred to describe the events of that “fateful day” herself.

“I am human. Sometimes I screw up,” she wrote. “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.”

Now, Nessel says she pledges to never drink on an empty stomach — and that she’ll “definitely” never drink another bloody mary.

“Cause it’s gonna take a while to get that taste out of my mouth,” she wrote.

Reactions were mixed, with the post receiving more than 1,000 comments in about 18 hours.

“While I find your actions related to politics vile and disgusting, bordering on seditious, I find your drinking incident funny and human like,” one person said.

“Well this was an unexpected and amazingly honest post! Hold your head up high and go blue! Those Bloody Mary salads have taken many down…,” wrote another.

“This sounds like a high schooler who got caught drinking wrote this,” one person said. “Grow up.”

“We’re supposed to trust you to make decisions on important issues for Michigan and you don’t know how to control your alcohol consumption?” asked another person. “I can’t wait to vote you out!”

Nessel has served as the state’s attorney general since she was sworn in on Jan. 1, 2019. She’s a former criminal prosecutor and civil rights attorney, according to her biography.

“The Attorney General’s responsibilities include safeguarding the public from violent criminals, helping victims of crime, leading the fight against human trafficking and opioid abuse, preserving Michigan’s spectacular natural resources, protecting consumers and addressing illegal business practices,” the state of Michigan said.

This story was originally published November 11, 2021 at 8:41 AM with the headline "Michigan attorney general recounts ‘scandalous tale’ of 2 bloody marys at football game."