Sorry Won’t Get It: Kobe’s Apology May Not Be Enough This Time

It’s easy to sell your apologies…especially when you’re worth millions but will that work for Kobe this time?

By: Taren Vaughan

Over a week later, NBA superstar Kobe Bryant is still issuing apologies for his outburst in last Tuesday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. After being called for a foul by referee Bennie Adams, Bryant showed his frustration not throwing a towel on the court but by dropping the “F” word and not the one that most would have guessed.

His response to Adams’ call was by calling him a “f***ing f****t”. Bryant claimed the anti-gay slur directed towards the ref was not in any way a display of his views of homosexuality and that he now sees how his anger-filled comment has affected everyone:

“In this situation, seeing how many people were affected, it helps you understand the weight that comes from that word”

Well clearly he understands the weight because not only did his outburst affect a number of fans, those who are homosexuals and those who are not, it cost him $100,000 too. As this is chump change to the Black Mamba, it is still money wasted because simply because his mouth got a tad bit too reckless. In addition to being overly apologetic for his behavior, the Lakers and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) are working together to put an end to gay slandering altogether.

In the heat of the moment, there are a lot of things that people say and do that they don’t necessarily mean. And when you are talking about a competitive sport like basketball and it’s playoff time at that, “f***ing f****t” is probably one of the milder things that you will hear coming out of a player’s mouth.

Excusing his behavior is not even an option for the Laker franchise so no “brushing this all under the rug” technique will be used. And it’s very obvious they are well aware of that as apologies have been issued most promptly. But even after the “I’m sorry” ‘s have run their course and the dust settles, will Bryant be known as the league’s “Gay Basher” for the rest of his career?

Even after his string of apologies for this most recent incident, some people are led to believe that it was all for show:

“Kobe is arrogant to me so it’s hard to believe that he is sincere about his apology when it comes to this situation. But I will say that as a former athlete myself, I know that you can let a lot of things slip out of your mouth out of pure frustration with no real intentions of hurting anyone’s feelings”

Oliver W.
Age: 31
Des Moines, IA

“I am a Kobe fan but when you say or do something out of order, you should be held accountable for it, pro athlete or not. Now whether or not he meant what he said, I don’t think we will truly ever know the answer to that question”

Ashley F.
Age: 20
Austin, TX

Makes you think…are athletes really sorry for their actions all the time? Or only when it’s caught on camera for the world to see?