He absolutely could have. He screwed up at that point. But you are straw-manning this OB. My point was that any misdeed will be used to tear one apart, and this was a great example as the backlash was immediate and final.
Over the last few decades, I've seen many relatively prominent people screw up in various ways. The ones who acknowledge the error and apologize tend to walk away undamaged (and seem to be quickly forgotten), suffering at worst very short-term consequences. The ones who get defensive don't fare as well.
So taking the straw man at face value, can you give me any examples of anyone who was let "off the hook" though sincere apology? I have seen a handful apologize and it does no good.
Patton Oswalt.