NBA player who called a gay referee a “faggot” came under fire for his comments, then his non-apology, issues stronger apology.
After calling NBA referee Bill Kennedy a “faggot” on December 3, being called out for it after Kennedy came out as gay this week to help support young athletes, and issuing a plagiarized non-apoogy apology on Twitter, tonight, 12 days after his ugly slurs, Rajon Rondo issued a stronger apology.
“You’re a mother———- faggot,” Rondo had said earlier this month. “You’re a f——— faggot, Billy.”
“Yesterday, I said that my words toward Bill Kennedy were unacceptable and did not reflect my feelings toward the LGBT community,” Rondo said in a statement released by his team.
“Some have interpreted my comments as a non-apology. I want to be clear, from the bottom of my heart that I am truly sorry for what I said to Bill. There is no place on or off the court for language that disrespects anyone’s sexual orientation. That is not who I am or what I believe and I will strive every day to be a better person.”
CBS Sports’Â Matt Moore calls it “a much better apology, even if it was likely not authored by Rondo but instead by a PR spokesperson in the organization. At least it acknowledges the severity of the situation and the importance of him actually apologizing.”
NBC Sports’ Kurt Helin calls Rondo’s ugly attack “a significant setback,” and “a big black eye for the NBA.”
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Image by Alvin Domondon via Flickr and a CC license