Kobe Bryant pays price for outrage at Bennie
Kobe Bryant had to pay a heavy price for the frustration he showed after he was called for a technical foul by referee Bennie Adams, on April 13, 2011, in a game against San Antonio Spurs.
The Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard was charged with an immediate fine worth $100,000 by the National Basketball Association (NBA) for calling the referee a homophobic slur.
As expected the 32-year old guard is being subjected to a strong criticism by human rights organisations and the homosexual community around the country.
The episode took place during third quarter of the game when the player was called for his third offensive foul for arguing, leading the player to his 15th technical foul of the season.
Coach Phil Jackson came forward to escort the angry and frustrated Bryant to the bench. After reaching the bench, the player banged a chair and hurled a towel in disgust. What happened afterwards is what wise men have always been warning everyone about,
“Anger is one letter short of danger”, perhaps now Bryant will understand.
Well, the player got all emotional and howled out at Adams, the referee, calling out his name that was followed by a slur. The action was caught on cameras, as well as the national broadcast.
This inexcusable action has stirred up fire among the homosexual community, who did not expect this coming from the superstar.
The NBA commissioner, David Stern, who is famous for his dead set decisions, prompted an immediate fine on the player calling his outrage as “offensive and inexcusable”.
Bryant while trying to calm down the homosexual community said that his action was out of frustration due to the heat of the game. While apologizing for his remark in an appearance made on a famous sports channel, Bryant said, “The words expressed do not
reflect my feelings toward the g*y and L*****n communities and were not meant to offend anyone”.
However, that was not enough to hold down the President of g*y media, Jarrett Barrios, who said that these type of discriminatory slurs did not have any place on or off the court. He further said that professional sports players are an example for young
people, who can use words in the playground, or, in the schools that would end up creating a climate of intolerance and hostility.
Outraged at Bryant’s outburst, the President also said that the statement was just a start and the NBA must take action against such things. He said that it is the responsibility of sports leagues to create a safe environment for everyone whether it is fans,
employees, or, players.
Bryant, who was intensely worried about the game at the moment was later embarrassed about his remark and said that he would make an appeal.
Tags: