After making homophobic comments in a video that was shared on social media, the Minnesota Timberwolves player was fined $40,000 even though he apologized for his actions.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) stated on Tuesday that star player for the Minnesota Timberwolves Anthony Edwards will be fined $40,000 for making homophobic comments in a video that was shared on social media the previous week.
A public apology was issued by the rear of 21 years just a few hours after the film in question was shown. “I realize that what I said was immature, harsh, and disrespectful, and I apologize for all three of those things. This is not acceptable […] there is no reason for it, I was brought up to be better than that».
This did not prevent the 21-year-old athlete, who will be a future colleague of Rudy Gobert, from getting sanctioned after being recruited by Wolves this summer. France reached the final of the Euro basketball tournament with him playing for them. And to be subjected to criticism, most notably from the retired champion turned activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
“Because Anthony Edwards is just 21 years old, it is tempting to chalk all of this up to the young man’s lack of maturity. The issue is that far too many prominent sportsmen and (franchise) owners have made news for expressing their racism, sexism, or homophobia. This has been a problem in recent years. According to what he said on his blog, “it is highly destructive for sport in general, for the teams that are implicated, and it preserves the cliché of the dumb and cruel sportsman.”
Comments often heard in the League
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is indeed unsettled one month before the start of the next season by the case of Robert Sarver, named after the owner of the Phoenix Suns, who was suspended for one year from all official activity by the body, for racist and sexist behavior.
A punishment that was considered to be woefully inadequate by superstars such as Chris Paul, who plays for the Arizona team, and LeBron James, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. As a result, officials such as the vice-president of the Suns and the director of the players’ union demanded that he be permanently banned from life.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a history of disciplining players who have made homophobic comments, such as the Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant ($50,000 fine in 2021) or Rajon Rondo (one-game suspension in 2015).
“The most important repercussion of this mentality is that it contributes to the ongoing stigmatization of a group. This stigmatization, in turn, leads to a restriction of rights for the minority in question, which in turn makes them vulnerable to violence. Even a sincere apology would not be sufficient in my opinion. Edwards needs to make amends for his actions by volunteering with organizations that offer assistance to members of the LGBT community, particularly those that focus on youth. If he is unable to complete the task, his apologies do not amount to anything,” still considered”KAJ “.