Ailene Volsin of the Sacramento Bee said Tuesday that Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo should apologize publicly for his anti-gay slurs used against NBA referee Bill Kennedy in a game earlier this season.
"One game, two games, three games? What exactly is the appropriate penalty for the anti-gay comments Rajon Rondo directed at NBA referee Bill Kennedy almost two weeks ago in Mexico City?" Volsin wrote.
"The one-game suspension certainly can be argued -- too long, too short, too much. But Rondo, the first NBA player suspended for uttering anti-gay remarks, doesn't deserve a pass. This is not a trend the league wants followed.
"Joakim Noah ($50,000) and Kobe Bryant ($100,000) were fined in 2011 for making anti-gay comments to a fan and referee, respectively. A decade before that, former Kings guard Jason Williams escaped with a $15,000 slap when an internal investigation determined that he allegedly responded to a heckler seated courtside at a Kings-Warriors game in Oakland with a series of anti-gay and racist slurs.
"In a modern world gone mad, where members of both political parties soil all over the concept of civil discourse and conversation, where no one seemingly knows how to use a napkin or otherwise mind their manners, Rondo had an opportunity Monday to stand up and lead. He had a chance to publicly apologize to fans, teammates, bosses and most importantly to Kennedy and anyone else whose sexual orientation presumably differs from his own. And add Kennedy's colleague Violet Palmer to the list; the long-time official years ago acknowledged she was gay.
"Yet here it is, December 2015, and instead of stepping up, Rondo finished shooting jumpers and expressed his thoughts via Twitter. 'My actions during the game were out of frustration and emotion, period!' he tweeted. 'They absolutely do not reflect my feelings toward the LGBT community. I did not mean to offend or disrespect anyone.'"
"So why not just say he's sorry? And say so publicly instead of tweeting a comment that sounds more like a 140-character cop-out than apology?"
Angry Dan
Miami Dolphins interim coach Dan Campbell's frustration was evident Tuesday, a day after the Dolphins lost 31-24 to the New York Giants.
With Monday's loss, the Dolphins were eliminated from playoff contention.
"I would say this," Campbell said, "I've been here six years and nothing has gone the way that we wanted it to be.
"Every year we come in with new hope and, there again, we're going to have another season where we have a playoff drought. I make damn sure that it stings and it hurts because the minute you go numb to that, then you're just a loser. I want it to hurt. It motivates me and it p * * * * * me off.
"It's not too much for me to handle. To me, that's how you get motivated to win because you get tired of losing and it stinks."
Campbell is 4-5 as the Dolphins' interim head coach after taking over for Joe Philbin. He said that the final three games are about who loves the game of football.
"Because now you're out and that in itself stings. There's no hiding that," Campbell said. "We can call it all we want. I can run in here and have a smile on my face. It p * * * * * me off. I know it p * * * * * those guys off in the locker room.
"We created our own mess. We're responsible for it. But now, we'll find out who really loves it. We'll find out who wants to finish this thing out and who wants to play for the logo on the helmet and who wants to play for the logo on the jersey."
SPORTS QUIZ
What team did Rajon Rondo start his NBA career with?
ANSWER
The Boston Celtics
Sports on 12/16/2015