Can one’s reputation recover from public racist remarks like John Galliano’s?

Below is how someone  like John Galliano might recover their reputation after having their nasty bigoted comments splashed all over the Internet.

Make excuses:
For instance, “I was merely trying to offend very rude people, who had provoked me, in order to maximize the chance they would leave me alone.  And, being very drunk, I went way too far.”

Explain yourself and the context of your comments:
Perhaps answering questions like:  What was said to provoke your comments? Do you really believe what you said?  Did you mean to say something else?  Is there something missing and were you taken out of context, in part or whole?

Make apologies and be genuinely contrite: 
For example, I feel like an idiot for having said this, because I AM an idiot.  I sincerely apologize for the disgusting and hateful way in which I behaved and for the insulting language which I used.  I should have known better, but I didn’t and I was wrong.  I also feel badly for how this may negatively impact Dior, so I will accept their decision to let me go.

Make a grand gesture:
Mr. Galiano, for instance, could now hire planes in the world’s major media cities and in three different time zones to fly a banner that say’s “John Galliano: I’m sorry for my off color remarks”.

Alternatively: 
Admit (if it’s true) that you had maintained some negative views about Jews, but the huge public backlash against your comments has convinced you that you were wrong and ignorant and that you resolve to learn more about the good in these people.  Then detail the steps you intend to take to ensure that this learning does actually occur.  For example, you may want to publicly invite a rabbi and scholar of Jewish history to teach you these things. 

Then be silent and take a long vacation.  And thereafter, be VERY self effacing and if the past ever comes up, simply reiterate that you learned a lot from that experience and you’re no longer the person you were then.

Finally, and on an ongoing basis, you may want to hire an online reputation firm with an army of web-savvy writers who can balance your past misdeed with content that highlights more positive and neutral things about you.

Important addendum:  To be crystal clear, the staff and management of Velvet Talk Management in no way condone the bigoted comments alleged to have been made by Mr. Galliano recently.