Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas was on Friday fined US$40,000 by the NBA for using what was deemed as an anti-gay slur during a live broadcast after Thursday’s win over the Chicago Bulls.
Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars outlined in a statement that the athlete was fined for using “derogatory and disparaging language during a live television interview.”
Official reports alluded that after the Nets’ 116-105 win over the Bulls, Thomas was interviewed on the court by the TNT sideline reporter Jared Greenberg regarding the Nets’ recent acquisition ahead of the trade deadline.
It is understood that Thomas jokingly mentioned that the team had garnered handsome players ahead of the Kyrie Irving trade and no homosexuals.
“We already had good looking guys, no homo,” he said.
One fan however chided that the statement is harmful and promotes a negative connotation as it suggests that members of the LGBTQIA community are seen as less than other members of society.
“No homo’ as a phrase promotes a negative connotation in regards to gay men, as if we are less-than, It’s still extremely harmful and anyone who thinks otherwise needs to wake up.” He expressed.
Since then, Thomas has taken to Twitter to issue an apology noting that his phrase was meant to be playful and not offensive.
“ I want to apologize for the insensitive word I used in the post-game interview. I was excited about the win and was being playful. I didn’t mean to offend anyone, but I realized that I probably did. My apologies again. Much love,” the tweet outlined.
