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Kobe Bryant To Pay $100,000 For Anti-Gay Slur

Posted by: Cynthia S. Wright on April 14, 2011.

04/14/2011 – by Cynthia S. Wright

Wannabe bad boy Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 fine for uttering a homophobic slur towards referee Bennie Adams during the Lakers game against the Spurs on Tuesday.

So Masculine

After the game, which was aired live on TV, Bryant was soon made to acknowledge his antics by issuing an apology – yet, at the same time – downplaying his role in the incident.

“What I said last night should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period. The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings towards the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone.”

Unfortunately, he did. Not only that, Bryant’s “slip-up” happened around the same time that the NBA was planning a service announcement alongside the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, showing that the NBA is – in fact – more gay friendly. The joint announcement is set to air during Finals and is appropriately titled the “Think Before You Speak” campaign.

Seems like Bryant didn’t get a memo or maybe his hissy-fit clouded his memory.

Bryant told ESPN radio that he plans to appeal the fine, due to the fact that he was frustrated during the game. Even though, that excuse might fly with some of the hardcore Bryant fans, NBA Commissioner, David Stern is not buying it.

“While I’m fully aware that basketball is an emotional game, such a distasteful term should never be tolerated,” stated Stern.

This forces Bryant to realize that his actions do have consequences. Hopefully, this incident will open up a dialogue pertaining to how homosexuality is often viewed in sports. Also, with Bryant having to pay a stiff penalty of 100K that alone should send out a signal that the NBA will no longer tolerate any form of intolerance – let’s hope that other sports soon follow suit.

Update: Apparently, gay basketball league, Lambda League has requested Bryant’s presence at one of their basketball games to prove his support to the LGBT community. Also, get this – if Bryant takes them up on the offer, they will even comp his tickets, TMZ reports.