Rajon Rondo admits to hurling homosexual slurs at gay NBA referee but says he is not a homophobe - and still refuses to apologize
- Rajon Rondo has admitted to hurling homosexual slurs at NBA referee Bill Kennedy after previously denying the accusation
- Rondo said on Twitter that his comments 'absolutely do not reflect my feelings toward the LGBT community'
- He did not publicly apologize to Kennedy, and it appears he has not privately spoken with him either
- After being ejected from the game on December 3, Rondo screamed; 'You’re a motherf***ing f****t… You’re a f***ing f****t, Billy'
- Kennedy, 47, came out as gay in an interview on Monday saying: 'I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am proud to be a gay man'
- There is a very good chance that Rondo knew Kennedy was gay as his former Celtics coach, Doc Rivers, taunted Kennedy about his sexuality
NBA star Rajon Rondo has admitted to using homophobic slurs to attack gay referee Bill Kennedy - but says he is not a homophobe.
'My actions during the game were out of frustration and emotion, period!' wrote Rondo on Twitter about the December 3 incident.
'They absolutely do not reflect my feelings toward the LGBT community. I did not mean to offend or disrespect anyone.'
He has not apologized to Kennedy.
Statement: Rajon Rondo has admitted to
hurling homosexual slurs at NBA referee Bill Kennedy after previously
denying the accusation
Response: Rondo said on Twitter that his comments 'absolutely do not reflect my feelings toward the LGBT community'
More work to do: He did not publicly apologize to Kennedy, and it appears he has not privately spoken with the man either
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive did apologize to Kennedy publicly, on behalf of his team and Rondo.
'Rajon's
comment is not reflective of the culture of the Sacramento Kings
organization or the world we want to live in,' Ranadive said in the
statement.
'He's
apologized, and has been suspended by the NBA. On behalf of the team, I
apologize to Bill Kennedy for any harm this may have caused.'
Kings
general manager Vlade Divac also released a statement, saying; 'It went
too far. What he said, he doesn't mean that. We don't support it as an
organization. When I saw him today, he apologized.'
In an emotional statement given to Yahoo Sports on Monday, Kennedy said: 'I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am proud to be a gay man.'
He
then added: 'I am following in the footsteps of others who have
self-identified in the hopes that will send a message to young men and
women in sports that you must allow no one to make you feel ashamed of
who you are.'
The announcement came in the wake of Kennedy being bombarded with homosexual slurs by Rondo.
During
that game, Rondo was ejected after he received a technical foul and
then began to taunt Kennedy, receiving a second technical foul and being
told to leave the court.
At
that point, Rondo had to be held back by his teammates as he screamed
at Kennedy; 'You’re a motherf***ing f****t. … You’re a f***ing f****t,
Billy.'
These slurs were heard not just by Kennedy but also by referee Ben Taylor.
A third official, Bennie Adams, also confirmed this report the next day.
Last
Friday, Rondo received a one-game suspension for 'directing a
derogatory and offensive term towards a game official and not leaving
the court in a timely manner'.
Rondo
is not the third NBA player to be punished for using an anti-gay slur,
with Joakim Noah and Kobe Bryant being fined $50,000 and $100,000
respectively when they did the same.
Those incidents both happened in 2011 and the men quickly apologized. Their comments were not directed at a gay individual.
Out: Kennedy, 47, came out as gay in
an interview on Monday saying; 'I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am
proud to be a gay man'
Rondo at first denied he ever directed any homosexual slurs at Kennedy, 47, who has been an NBA referee for 18 seasons.
He is making $9.5million this season, which means that he will lose $86,300 as a result of the suspension.
Making
matters worse was the fact that Kennedy's sexuality is known by many
people in the NBA, including former Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers,
according to referee Tim Donaghy.
In a 2010 interview Donaghy said that Kennedy was gay, and that Rivers had questioned his sexuality during a game, which upset Kennedy.
Rondo
played for the Celtics and Rivers at the time, which means that he too
likely knew that Kennedy was a gay man, and that is why he used those
anti-gay slurs.
This
marks the first time an NBA player has been suspended for language, but
some feel the penalty should have been much harder - especially if
there is definitive proof Rondo knew Kennedy was gay.
In addition to suspending Rondo, NBA commissioner Adam Silver released a statement supporting Kennedy.
'I
wholeheartedly support Bill's decision to live his life proudly and
openly. Throughout his 18-year career with the league, Bill has excelled
as a referee because of his passion, dedication and courage,' said
Silver.
'Those
qualities will continue to serve him well both as a game official and
as a positive influence for others. While our league has made great
progress, our work continues to ensure that everyone is treated with
respect and dignity.'
Kennedy
is now the second NBA referee to come out as gay, with the league's
first female ref Violet Palmer revealing she was a lesbian and set to
marry her girlfriend last year.
The
NBA has had the best record of all the professional sports leagues when
it comes to gay rights, with Jason Collins the first major professional
athlete to come out as a homosexual.
He
was greeted with an endless amount of public support from his fellow
athletes on social media, and those who came out against him were
immediately shamed by the league.
In
addition, major players and entire teams - from the Portland
Trailblazers to Shaquille O'Neal - have been very vocal in showing their
support for everything from marriage equality to fighting anti-gay
bullying.
That
made the situation a bit of a headache for Silver, further complicated
no doubt by the fact that Rondo has not released a public apology.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3361051/Rajon-Rondo-admits-hurling-homosexual-slurs-gay-NBA-referee-says-not-homophobe-refuses-apologize.html#ixzz3uVPV0LJl
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