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Tami Roman on Rolling Out’s Cover: Putting Her Softer Side on Display

*Tami Roman of “Basketball Wives” is quickly emerging as the heir-apparent for NeNe Leaks’ crown as TV’s number one villain. What’s elevating her (or lowering her) to that status is her over the top mad woman act on “Wives” … especially her smackdown of Meeka Claxton.

Well, lately she’s been trying to change the public’s perception with interviews that attempt to show a somewhat remorseful Roman. Remember, the key word is SOMEWHAT ’cause when you dig a little deeper, she’s still kinda hardcore.

The most recent attempt to soften her image is an appearance on the cover of Rolling Out and Q&A. We’ve got some excerpts below:

We have to get this question out of the way. Why did you join “Basketball Wives?”
Well, I watched the first season of “Basketball Wives” and just felt like the things that I was going through weren’t really represented on the show. I had been a basketball wife, and now that I was divorced, things weren’t as golden as they portrayed on the show. I wasn’t eating out and getting manicures every day … and I wasn’t drinking all night, every night. That wasn’t my world, so for me, I felt like my individual story would be valuable.

Do you feel like the producers have done a good job portraying you?
I think that the producers have done a fantastic job of blowing out of proportion one aspect of my personality. Now I’m not going to say that it’s the editing, and I’m not going to try and blame it on anything else, because Tami will go off on you [laughs] … that is a part of my personality. Whether you like it or not, I’m going to tell you the truth because I feel like everybody should be able to deal with the truth. That way, you can know what you’re dealing with. I’ve always been a big fan of that, of honesty and loyalty. So while what you see on TV is a part of my personality, it’s not all of who I am. I think that the audience who watches “Basketball Wives” is only seeing that aspect of my personality 100 percent magnified. They don’t see me working with my charity, and they didn’t see me when I was a part of corporate America going to work in a business suit every day. And they don’t see me with my mother, or me with my dude. There’s so much about me that you don’t see because that’s not what “Basketball Wives” wants to show.

You said that you are a fan of the truth. Do you ever have problems receiving the truth if it’s not what you want to hear?
I prefer the truth, and anybody that watches “Basketball Wives” knows that is all I asked … just be truthful with me, and if you have an opinion directly about my life, say it to me. Don’t talk behind my back. So whatever you have said, I think that everybody should be woman enough to bring those opinions or concerns to the person directly. When that’s not done, that’s when I really have a problem with you.

You have always come across as a very strong woman. Do you ever have moments where you feel weak or vulnerable?
Yes, I do all the time. There was a point in my life where we fell on hardships. After years of spending money and living through people, I woke up one day and all of that money was gone. I was at an all-time low … I had to get on food stamps, I had to go get on medical assistance, and I cried a lot. But I realized that I did it to myself by trying to live up to images, and trying to live up to public perception rather than being true to myself. I vowed from that moment on that I didn’t want my daughters to see me this way, and that I was going to do whatever it took to bring us back to the top.