As much as I love rooting against Lebron James and the Miami Heat, I can't help but get a little angry that Indiana Pacers big man Roy Hibbert used the game's biggest stage to drop a homophobic slur and curse out reporters in a televised interview after game 6.
Hibbert said, "I really felt that I let Paul down in terms of having his back when LeBron was scoring in the post or getting to the paint. Because they stretched me out so much, no homo." He later added, in reference to questions about his low placement in voting for defensive player of the year, "You know what, because y'all motherfuckers don't watch us play throughout the year, to tell you the truth" ... "I don't care if I get fined".
Well, if you don't care, then how about you pay a cool $75K for your remarks. That's what Hibbert had to shell out for his comments. But this isn't the first time the NBA has had to hand out fines for homophobic comments after a game. Kobe Bryant ($100K), Joakim Noah ($50K) and Amar'e Stoudemire ($50K) also received fines for similar remarks.
It just reminds me how important it is to choose your words carefully. It's easy for someone to say screw what others expect of me and make life all about themselves, but it takes a stronger person to admit their faults, tackle problems head on and live in the present.
Someone's sexual orientation shouldn't matter on the basketball court. When Jason Collins outed himself to the world as the first openly gay man in the NBA, Hibbert and the rest should have taken notice and changed their ways.
If you ask me, fining him $75K wasn't enough. The guy makes $14.3 million this year and will get another $14.9 million next season, so $75K is just pocket change. NBA commissioner David Stern needs to get tougher on these guys so they watch what they say in interviews.
If it was me, Hibbert would have been suspended from game 7 and fined $1 million dollars. Maybe then he'll think twice before he opens his mouth and offends an entire population of men and women.
No comments:
Post a Comment