But after Attorney General Peter Neronha announced that the investigation into the contract with the ILO group was officially closed, McKee just couldn’t help himself. He had to dunk the basketball, or push the football, or yell at the world. He held a press conference which was apparently designed to round up his family, radio host Dan Yorke and a few employees who have no ability to control anything he says anyway.

What McKee apparently forgot was the kind of advice he would have given the young basketball players he was coaching after a sloppy game in which they still came out on top:

Act like you’ve been there before.

You’d never know McKee, 73, won his first election — for Cumberland City Council — in 1992, the same year Bill Clinton was elected president. Since then, he has had one of the best win-loss records in Rhode Island politics, both at the ballot box and getting key legislation across the finish line, like when he helped create the Mayor’s Academy charter schools as mayor .

Last week, he acted like it was the first time he’d been punched in the mouth politically, all because, he says, his family’s feelings were hurt by the idea that he might have done something inappropriate. .

As former Attorney General Arlene Violet said at “A lively experiment” Last week on Rhode Island PBS, he “exaggerates his exoneration”. In other words, McKee believes that because he hasn’t been charged, it means the people who investigated him – law enforcement and the media – should pretend nothing happened. Or ask for forgiveness.

To be clear, it is improper to step in and lead a contract to your allies. It’s worse when the ally who gets the contract writes an email saying, “It’s a fixed RFP, but luckily I know who it’s fixed for.” That really happened.

McKee may have thought he was just riding off steam by holding last week’s press conference, but he’s done more damage than he realizes. He said he refused to be interviewed for the investigation because he did not trust the people who would conduct the interview. Looks like I have to pledge your loyalty to McKee before he talks to you.

He paid his lawyer — who happens to be a former House speaker and one of Rhode Island’s top lobbyists — after reporters began raising questions about their arrangement. (McKee claims attorney Bill Murphy offered limited advice, but Channel 12 reported (that it was Murphy who contacted the attorney general’s office on March 19 to say McKee was refusing to be interviewed for the investigation.)

That was more than eight months ago.

Instead of moving on, McKee chose to play a game of whataboutism: What about Neronha, who admits he doesn’t like me and doesn’t think I should be governor, and would therefore prosecute me just to damage my career? At least you guys read this Rhode Island Monthly Profile where did he say he voted against me?

There is no doubt that Neronha has a healthy ego and I took issue his use of social media in the past—suggesting McKee he should wear Pinocchio’s nose while last week last week last week was particularly terrible – but he proved throughout his long career to be a man of integrity. McKee essentially accused him of corruption.

The main question now is whether McKee has it in him to move on and start focusing on the things that really matter or will he just keep going complaining about referees?

The problem with this governor is that he seems more obsessed than ever with the people who wronged him at a time when his administration desperately needs to fix so many problems.

Dan McGowan can be reached at [email protected]. Follow L @danmcgowan.