Rajon Rondo has offered a more formal apology for the anti-gay comments he made recently. The Sacramento Kings guard insulted gay referee Bill Kennedy during a game against the Boston Celtics on Dec. 3, 2015 in Mexico City.
The incident occurred during the third quarter. ESPN revealed that Rondo was called for two technical fouls and ejected by Kennedy. After the first technical foul was called, Rondo went to Kennedy and yelled at him. After the second technical, he hurled a gay slur at the referee while he was being withdrawn by his teammates. The Kings lost to the Celtics 114-97 afterwards.
Rondo was slapped with a one-game suspension without pay by the NBA for his derogatory and offensive statement toward a game official and for failing to leave the court after he was ejected, USA Today cited.
First, he tweeted that his actions during the game were due to his emotion and frustration. He added that these do not reflect his feelings toward the LGBT community and that he did not mean to disrespect or offend anyone.
He then offered a more formal statement.
"Yesterday, I said that my words toward Bill Kennedy were unacceptable and did not reflect my feelings toward the LGBT community. Some have interpreted my comments as a non-apology," Rondo said in a statement.
“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," he continued.
Vlade Divac, general manager and vice president of the Sacramento Kings, as well as Vivek Ranadive, Kings team owner and chairman, also apologized in behalf of the team and said that the organization did not approve of Rondo’s behavior, based on the same ESPN report.
The NBA commissioner also stated that he fully supports Kennedy’s decision to live proudly and openly as a gay man. He commended Kennedy’s long career in the league and his efforts and contributions.
Kennedy, 49, has been working in the NBA for 18 years and has been in over 1,100 games, including 68 playoff games and five Finals games. He has not yet commented on Rondo’s recent statement.
More updates and details on Rajon Rondo and Bill Kennedy are expected to follow.