Rajon Rondo's Explanation for Using Slur Bears Striking Similarities to Kobe Bryant's
By Kyle Koster
Rajon Rondo’s two tweets addressing his suspension for his confrontation with referee Bill Kennedy bear a striking similarity to the statement Kobe Bryant put out after he was fined $100,000 for a similar incident in 2011.
Rondo never actually apologizes for lobbing homophobic slurs at Kennedy.
My actions during the game were out of frustration and emotion, period!
— Rajon Rondo (@RajonRondo) December 14, 2015
They absolutely do not reflect my feelings toward the LGBT community. I did not mean to offend or disrespect anyone.
— Rajon Rondo (@RajonRondo) December 14, 2015
USA Today’s Sam Amick pointed out it’s almost a word-for-word copy of what Bryant’s statement said after using the same slur toward Bennie Adams.
"“What I said last night should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period. The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings towards the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone.”"
Weird coincidence? Misguided homage? Sloppy aggregation?
It is odd that two guys dipped deep into their hearts and came up with congruent sentiments but stranger things have happened.