Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 by the NBA on Wednesday for a gay slur that commissioner David Stern called "offensive and inexcusable."
Kudos to the NBA and commissioner Stern for taking this action and showing that the NBA is not an organization that will tolerate its players exhibiting anti-GLBT actions.
$100,000 seems like a steep price to pay for something Kobe Bryant said, but it's a number that makes sense because it can't be simply laughed off by the offender, like perhaps a $5,000 fine would be. $5,000 is a night at the club for players of Bryant's caliber.
Kobe Bryant apologized for what happened:
Bryant admitted his choice of words was not appropriate.
"The comment that I made, even though it wasn't meant in the way it was perceived to be, is nonetheless wrong, so it's important to own that," Bryant said.
Bryant added: "The concern that I have is for those that follow what I say and are inspired by how I play or look to me as a role model or whatever it is, for them not to take what is said as a message of hate or a license to degrade or embarrass or tease. That's something I don't want to see happen. It's important for me to talk about that issue because it's OK to be who you are, and I don't want this issue to be a part of something or to magnify something that shouldn't be."
I believe him to be sincere in his apology. It's unfortunate that the hateful word he uttered has burrowed its way into American society the way it has. Many people use the word, not meaning to hurt the GLBT community, yet not realizing that simply using that word hurts people. Kobe seems to understand that and is sorry.
The Human Rights Campaign seems to feel the same way:
Stern's action drew praise from gay-rights organizations that have demanded a fuller apology from Bryant and the Lakers.
"We applaud Commissioner Stern and the NBA for not only fining Bryant but for recognizing that slurs and derogatory comments have no place on the basketball court or in society at large," said Joe Solmonese, president of Human Rights Campaign -- a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization. "We hope such swift and decisive action will send a strong and universal message that this kind of hateful outburst is simply inexcusable no matter what the context."
Bryant called Solmonese Wednesday before the Lakers' game at Sacramento to apologize and express regret.
"I applaud Kobe Bryant for his swift apology," Solmonese said in statement. "We had a very sincere conversation in which he expressed his heartfelt regret for the hurt that his words caused. He told me that it's never OK to degrade or tease, and that he understands how his words could unfortunately give the wrong impression that this is appropriate conduct. At the end of a difficult day, I applaud Kobe for coming forward and taking responsibility for his actions."
This is a teachable moment for Kobe Bryant, other NBA players, and those that look up to them. Words can hurt people, even if you don't mean them to, so it matters what words you use.