NBA ref Bill Kennedy came out of the closet a few days after Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo called him a gay slur during a game.
The incident occurred during a game between Rondo’s current team, the Sacramento Kings, and his former team, the Boston Celtics, in Mexico City on Dec. 3.
Kennedy ejected Rondo from the game for staring at him. Rondo had to be physically restrained when he tried to confront Kennedy on the court.
The NBA released a statement announcing Rondo’s one day suspension, saying Rondo was suspended for “directing a derogatory and offensive term towards a game official and not leaving the court in a timely manner upon his ejection.”
The NBA’s statement described what Rondo said to Kennedy before heading to the locker room:
“You’re a mother****ing faggot. You’re a f***ing faggot, Billy,” he allegedly said.
Another referee, Bennie Adams, didn’t hear the gay slur but he “affirmed that Rondo aggressively pursued referee Bill Kennedy and had to be restrained by teammates and escorted off the floor by Sacramento team security.”
In his statement to Yahoo Sports on Sunday, Kennedy said, “I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am proud to be a gay man. I am following in the footsteps of others who have self-identified in the hopes that will send a message to young men and women in sports that you must allow no one to make you feel ashamed of who you are.”