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.”
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t84p7mcK2Pk&feature=player_embedded
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