Personal Comments; John Amaechi; Tim Hardaway

Why do big dumb actors and big dumb jocks think it's ok to indulge in gay bashing? To parahrase Joseph Welch during the McCarthy hearing's of the 50s:

"If it were in my power to forgive you for your reckless cruelty, I would do so. I like to think I'm a gentle man, but your forgiveness will have to come from someone other than me."

"You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency sir(s), at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"

According to ESPN, ESPN.com - updated Feb 9, 2007 - Amaechi becomes first NBA player to come out.

[In a groundbreaking revelation that began to reverberate around the NBA on Wednesday, former player John Amaechi has become the first professional basketball player to openly identify himself as gay.

Amaechi, who played at Penn State and spent five seasons in the NBA with Orlando, Utah and Cleveland, comes out in an upcoming book entitled "Man in the Middle" to be released later this month by ESPN Books (owned by the Walt Disney Company, parent company of ESPN).

Martina Navratilova, perhaps the most famous openly gay athlete in the world, praised Amaechi's decision and said it's imperative for athletes to come out because of what she called an epidemic of suicides among young lesbians and gays.

"It's hugely important for the kids so they don't feel alone in the world. We're role models. We're adults, and we know we're not alone but kids don't know that," she said. "He will definitely help a lot of kids growing up to feel better about themselves."]

Note article for details.

A week later, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel South Florida Sun-Sentinel - 'I hate gay people,' former Heat star Tim Hardaway declares

[A week after retired center John Amaechi became the first active or former NBA player to publicly acknowledge he was gay, one of the most popular players in Heat franchise history offered a blunt view on homosexuality Wednesday during a radio interview.

Former Heat guard Tim Hardaway, who had been making public appearances for the NBA, said on Miami-based 790 The Ticket he would not have tolerated a gay player on his team and would have asked to have been traded in such a situation or would have asked to have the gay teammate be traded.

"Well, you know, I hate gay people," Hardaway said near the close of an interview that mostly focused on his tenure with the Heat and the team's current state. "I let it be known, I don't like gay people. I don't like to be around gay people.

"Yeah, I'm homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world for that or in the United States for that. So, yeah, I don't like it."

After the NBA learned of Hardaway's comments, a league spokesman said Hardaway had been removed from further league-related appearances.

"It is inappropriate for him to be representing us given the disparity between his views and ours," NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement to the Sun-Sentinel.

Hardaway was listed Tuesday as an "NBA Legend" when the league launched its NBA FIT program at the YMCA of Southern Nevada and had been part of the NBA's Community Caravan leading up to Sunday's All-Star Game in Las Vegas.

Hardaway played for the Heat from 1996 to 2001.

Shortly after arriving in Las Vegas, agent Henry Thomas, who also represents Heat guard Dwyane Wade, issued a statement through his office from Hardaway that read, "I want to apologize for my comments yesterday regarding gays. My comments were offensive and I regret making them. I'm sorry to anyone I have offended."

However, when contacted by Channel 4 before that statement was issued, Hardaway reiterated the comments he made in the radio interview.

"I don't condone it. And if people got problems with it, I'm sorry. I'm saying I can't stand being around that person, knowing that they sleep with somebody of the same sex," he told the television station, adding he would not talk to a gay family member.

When asked in the radio interview about how he would have dealt with a gay teammate, Hardaway responded, "First of all, I wouldn't want him on my team. And second of all, if he was on my team, you know, I would really distance myself from him because I don't think that is right." ]

A day later, according to the Miami Herald MiamiHerald.com - Hardaway's gay bashing brings swift rebuke - Former pro basketball player Tim Hardaway felt heat from all sides one day after making anti-gay comments.

[A day after declaring ''I hate gay people'' on a South Florida radio show, former Miami Heat guard Tim Hardaway was banned from this weekend's NBA All-Star Game activities, lost a national endorsement deal and drew intense criticism from gay-rights advocates.

Five-time All-Star Hardaway, who apologized on WSVN-Fox 7 several hours after making the comments Wednesday, released another apology Thursday through his agent, Henry Thomas.

''As an African American, I know all too well the negative thoughts and feelings hatred and bigotry cause,'' Hardaway said in Thursday's apology. ``I regret and apologize for the statements that I made that have certainly caused the same kinds of feelings and reactions.

''I especially apologize to my fans, friends and family in Miami and Chicago. I am committed to examining my feelings and will recognize, appreciate and respect the differences among people in our society,'' he said. ``I regret any embarrassment I have caused the league on the eve of one of their greatest annual events.''

STERN AND RILEY REACT

But Hardaway's backtracking on the comments he made during an AM radio interview with 790 The Ticket failed to undo the damage.

''It is inappropriate for him to be representing us given the disparity between his views and ours,'' NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement canceling Hardaway's appearance as an ''NBA legend'' at the YMCA of Southern Nevada and participation in the NBA's community caravan leading up to Sunday's All-Star Game in Las Vegas.

Heat president and head coach Pat Riley, who coached Hardaway during his Heat tenure, said he was ``a little bit shocked by some of the words that he used.''

''That kind of thinking can't be tolerated. It just can't,'' Riley said during a WQAM (560) radio interview. ``But I do know that Tim's a good spirit and I'm sure now wished he could take all of that back. And I hope he's not severely judged.''

Hardaway's comments could hurt him financially. BaldGuyz, a New Jersey-based company that makes grooming products for bald men, dropped him as a spokesman Thursday, four months after making him the first former pro to represent the two-year-old company.

''BaldGuyz, like baldness, does not discriminate based on lifestyle choice, color, education, financial resources, religion, physical capabilities or in any other way,'' Howard Brauner, CEO of BaldGuyz, said in a statement.

Matt Foreman, president of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, released a statement calling Hardaway ``a hero to thousands of young people. And that's what makes his comments so troubling. Sadly, his words simply put the pervasive homophobia in the NBA on the table.''

Local gay leaders spoke out as well.

''These comments dehumanize the gay and lesbian community, which, in turn, leads to more hate,'' said Heddy Peņa, executive director of SAVE, Safeguarding American Values for Everyone.

''People like Tim Hardaway are not just celebrities; they're role models,'' Peņa said. ``He's using his celebrity to promote hatred. We expect more from people of his prominence.''

''Obviously, I'm disappointed in Tim Hardaway, being that Tim Hardaway was one of my favorite basketball players,'' said Donnell Morris, managing director of Black Gay Pride of South Florida. ``It creates a hostile environment for any player contemplating coming out of the closet.''

BUSINESS VENTURES

Hardaway has an ownership stake in several South Florida businesses. A person who answered the phone at Tim Hardaway's U.S. 1 Car Wash in Miami, but declined to be identified, said more than 20 people had called to complain but that customer flow had not dropped. A man who identified himself as the manager at Tim Hardaway's House of Wings in Coconut Grove declined to comment.

Hardaway's comments followed last week's disclosure by former NBA center John Amaechi that he's gay.

Amaechi, who is promoting a book, told ESPN Radio on Thursday that the comments by Hardaway ``and . . . people like him are the loud comments that pollute the air. These are the comments that create the atmosphere that allows some of the tragic incidents of homophobia that we've seen -- some of the attacks, some of the deaths. . . .

''Is it his fault? Is it him that makes these people do these terrible acts? No, but it creates this atmosphere of permissiveness'' in which ``important people think it's OK to treat gay people this way. This is what makes the lives of gay and lesbian young people in school miserable.''

Hardaway played for the Heat from 1995 through 2001. On several occasions, he has expressed interest in returning to the Heat's roster but was turned down.

The incident sparked a call for pro sports teams to put their players through sensitivity training.

''Instead of being in denial about homophobia in sports, they need to take action,'' said SAVE's Peņa. ``It's time for the NBA and the NFL to bring in people who will sensitize the players to these issues. We would facilitate it.''

And gay leaders pointed out the Heat's popularity with all kinds of fans.

''If he thinks homosexuals are not sports fanatics, he better wake up and smell the coffee,'' said Ron Brenesky, co-founder and vice president of Unity Coalition, Miami-Dade's leading Hispanic gay-rights group. ''There are plenty of Heat fanatics who happen to be gay.'']