Just as the fact that John Terry has friends of varied ethnicities does not excuse him from using racist terminology on the football field.
Ancient artifacts may be plentiful, but that does not excuse the method used to extract them.
The Rhodes Trust, the administrator of the prestigious scholarship, has so far remained tightlipped, emphasizing that while Cecil Rhodes's wealth does not excuse his wrongdoings, it has been used "to create educational opportunities that have benefited South Africans of all races".
Just because other people think and say appallingly short-sighted and out-of-date terms from the kind of sitcom the BBC would have pulled in the 70s for being too racist, that doesn't excuse their use, especially from a parliamentary candidate who's supposed to be shooting for some position of vague power.
This doesn't excuse those who used racist or antisemitic words as a casual echo of their own times, but it will help to put their words in context: as historical usage, not necessarily a malignant choice.
Working in high poverty areas doesn't excuse officers who use excessive force, but police officers are dealt an unfair hand: communities with inadequate and unaffordable housing, few jobs and weak schools need more help than even the best-trained police service.
Just because the technology is there doesn't excuse a person from using it indiscriminately.
If the AAA leadership felt the AAA should have responded formally earlier to the Brazilian Anthropological Association's complaints about Chagnon and it isn't clear they should have—that does not really excuse using Tierney as a roadmap.
That did not excuse officers' using the stun guns, the Department of Corrections secretary, Walter McNeil, said on Friday.
He acknowledges how injuries to players like Santonio Holmes, Dustin Keller and Stephen Hill have ratcheted up the degree of difficulty, but he does not use them as excuses.
