Is bill kennedy gay
Longtime NBA referee Bill Kennedy revealed to Yahoo Sports Sunday night that he is gay, making him the second openly gay active NBA official after Violet Palmer's announcement in Bill Kennedy, one of the NBA's top referees, has revealed he is gay. "I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am proud to be a gay man," Kennedy told Yahoo Sports on Sunday night.
NBA referee Bill Kennedy revealed he is gay in a report published Monday by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski (Warning: NSFW language). According to Kennedy, Sacramento Kings point guard. Veteran NBA referee Bill Kennedy has announced he is gay. "I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am proud to be a gay man," Kennedy told Yahoo! Sports on Sunday. Bill is the second active NBA referee to announce being gay publicly.
Before him, referee Violet Palmer revealed she was gay upon marrying her longtime partner, Tanya Stine, in According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! The news broke after Kennedy gave Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo a technical foul for allegedly using a homosxual slur during the Kings game in Mexico on Dec.
On Dec. Rondo wrote an apology on Twitter Monday afternoon after denying the request to make a comment in front of the media at practice. SacramentoKings Rondo practice following 1 game suspension after anti-gay remarks made to official. CBSSacramento pic. They absolutely do not reflect my feelings toward the LGBT community.
I did not mean to offend or disrespect anyone. Rondo's apology over social media apparently wasn't enough for the public to forgive him, so he clarified his statement in a press release on Tuesday. 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.
On behalf of the team, I apologize to Bill Kennedy for any harm this may have caused. Those qualities will continue to serve him well both as a game official and as a positive influence for others. While our league has made great progress, our work continues to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and dignity.
Veteran NBA referee Bill
In Wojnarowski's report, after Kennedy ejected Rondo with consecutive technical fouls, Rondo "defied league protocol to immediately leave the court and began stalking Kennedy, who had retreated to a far sideline of the floor. At the time, it wasn't certain what Rondo had said to earn the ejection, but his body language was clearly upset.
The league investigated the incident and handed down the consequence of the game suspension. In the game officials' report used as part of the NBA's investigation — which includes details provided to Yahoo Sports from National Basketball Referee's Association general counsel Lee Seham — Kennedy and fellow referee Ben Taylor described Rondo's post-ejection diatribe as including the statements: "You're a motherg ft.
Seham reported that a third official, Bennie Adams, outside of hearing distance, "affirmed that Rondo aggressively pursued referee Bill Kennedy and had to be restrained by teammates and escorted off the floor by Sacramento team security. To read the initial report, click here. My actions during the game were out of frustration and emotion, period!
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