Kobe Bryant is under fire this morning after TV cameras caught him muttering a homophobic slur at referee Bennie Adams after being assessed a technical foul.
Not only was Bryant’s choice of words shocking, his behavior in punching the bench and throwing a towel was a bit much as well.
The Human Rights Campaign has responded to the situation by telling TMZ: “What a disgrace for Kobe Bryant to use such horribly offensive and distasteful language, especially when millions of people are watching.
“Hopefully Mr. Bryant will recognize that as a person with such fame and influence, the use of such language not only offends millions of LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] people around the world, but also perpetuates a culture of discrimination and hate that all of us, most notably Mr. Bryant, should be working to eradicate.”
In addition, GLADD has issued the following statement.
“Discriminatory slurs have no place on or off the court. Professional sports players need to set a better example for young people who use words like this on the playground and in our schools, creating a climate of intolerance and hostility. The LA Lakers have a responsibility to educate their fans about why this word is unacceptable.”
The NBA is currently investigating the incident.
As a gay man, I get that Kobe was incredibly out of line at last night’s Lakers game, but it was a heated moment and he let something offensive slip. We all do it. Plus, you know he’s not a homophobe considering he looks like a Manzie in this photo: http://bit.ly/e2pJyX