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 NBA Slaps Lakers' Coach Over Homophobic Remark
by The Associated Press
Posted: November 15, 2007 - 9:00 am ET
(Houston, Texas) Coach Phil Jackson said he
deserved the reprimand he got from the NBA on Wednesday for making a sexual
reference in a comment following the Los Angeles Lakers' loss in San Antonio.
The Spurs made 13 three-pointers in their 107-92
victory on Tuesday night, and Jackson was asked if too much penetration was
leading to open outside shooters.
``We call this a 'Brokeback Mountain' game,
because there's so much penetration and kickouts,'' Jackson said. ``It was one
of those games.''
The 2005 film, which won three Oscars, depicts
two cowboys who conceal their homosexual affair.
``But in retrospect, it wasn't really funny,''
Jackson said before the Lakers played Houston on Wednesday night. ``When you
take it out of context, it wasn't funny. It was a poor attempt at humor and I
deserved to be reprimanded by the NBA.''
Still, Jackson couldn't resist making another
joke as he apologized.
``If I've offended any horses, Texans, cowboys or
gays, I apologize,'' Jackson said.
Jackson thanked beat writers and other
journalists who covered Tuesday's game for dismissing the comment as an innocent
joke. He said several of them laughed when he said it.
The NBA did not.
NBA spokesman Brian McIntyre said: ``The remarks
are in poor taste, and the Lakers have assured us such remarks will not occur in
the future.''
Jackson admitted he should've known better _ that
coaches can't get away with the jokes that Jay Leno and David Letterman do for a
living on their late-night talk shows.
``It's societal right now,'' he said. ``Some
people can do it. Some people can't. That's something that's appropriate for
certain categories.''
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
president Neil G. Giuliano issued a statement saying: ``Phil Jackson's been
coaching long enough that he should be able to talk about the Lakers'
performance without resorting to cheap gay jokes.''
©365Gay.com 2007
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