Tim HardawayTim Hardaway's quiet turnaround
Tim Hardaway was was a five-time NBA All-Star, and finished eighth all-time in average assists per game. And yet now when most people think of the former Miami Heat player, what first springs to mind are his February 2007 "I hate gay people" comments. His virulently homophobic rant occurred on a radio show. The interviewer brought up the recent coming out of John Amaechi and asked Hardaway how he would deal with a gay teammate. Said Hardaway, "I wouldn’t want him on my team." He added that he would shun a gay teammate and would not want him in the locker room. When the former basketball star was asked if he realized that his remarks were homophobic and bigoted, Hardaway responded,"Well, you know I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it." Who knows what he was expecting, but it is clear that Hardaway did pay a price for what he'd done. The NBA moved to distance itself from Hardaway, and Hardaway's employer Trinity Sports fired him.
Now comes news that maybe Hardaway is earnestly repentant about his hateful comments. He's been quietly showing up at the YES Institute, a children's advocacy group based in South Miami. The organization's mission statement: "To prevent suicide and ensure the healthy development of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and all youth by initiating dialogue, providing education, and creating support systems." One wonders if Hardaway's motives for developing a relationship with YES are entirely altruistic. (He was trying to launch a coaching career and his ugly homophobic ranting and seeming lack of contrition made him a less-than-desirable coaching candidate.) But the YES Institute does very good work and Hardaway's involvement helps to draw attention to the issue of LGBT teen depression and suicide.
And if all this is is just a PR move, it's a very smart one. The man deserves points for that. He's saying all the right things. When asked by AP why he began attending YES Institute discussion groups... "I just wanted to go in and get educated, that's all. Get educated on what I said and why I said those things. I'm working on understanding it now. I'm not really trying to make amends. I've been there trying to get help." Will this be enough to resurrect his tarnished image? What do AfterElton.com readers think? Submitted by on Fri, 2007-09-28 08:19. Saturday in San Francisco with George
I was at the Human Rights Campaign's annual awards dinner and gala in San Francisco Saturday night, where George Takei received HRC's Equality Award, Elizabeth Edwards gave the keynote address, and the always-gorgeous Lucy Lawless gave us three wardrobe changes and a whole lotta love for her gay fans. And I’m here to tell you it's official: Mr. Sulu loves him some Xena. Submitted by on Mon, 2007-07-16 12:34. To Make a Long Story Short ... Brady Quinn, Steve Rothaus, and more!As they say in Hollywood, that's a wrap! But before we sign off for the weekend, we'd like to leave you with a few final tidbits!
Submitted by on Fri, 2007-06-15 21:46. Update: Tim Hardaway still unrepentant bigot, back to attending NBA events
Just in case you were under the impression that Tim Hardaway, the NBA vet who famously said "I hate gay people ... I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States" had either miraculously become a tolerant individual or had been sent into orbit, here's a story about how the boastful bigot recently attended an NBA pre-draft event. The reporter is quick to point out that Hardaway was listed as only a "Guest" and that no one seems to be forgetting Hardaway's words or his notable lack of an apology following the controversy. But it is interesting to see that he's trying to make inroads back into the organization that banished him from sanctioned events following his comments, and that the NBA allowed him access at all. When asked at the event about his comments from four months back, the ever-keen Hardaway replied,
Translation:
Apologizing for hateful comments and resuming one's life is one thing. Not apologizing and trying to pretend that nothing ever happened is another, and let's hope that Hardaway's old colleagues don't let him off so easy. To remind us that even the stupidest of public relations moves can have unexpectedly amusing fallout, check out George Takei's response to the Hardaway deal (aired on Jimmy Kimmel) after the break. Submitted by on Mon, 2007-06-04 13:31. Sports and gay controversy article
If you haven't yet had the chance, make sure to pop on over to our Brand! Spanking! New! main page and read our article discussing the recent gay controversies in pro sports. With the Tim Hardaway situation, the Snickers Super Bowl ad, and the Colts coach's appearance at a dinner for an avowedly anti-gay group, pro sports have had a rough inning, to say the least. But is it just a fumble? Check out the article, and be sure to share your comments when you're done (you can now comment on the actual article page -- a new feature!). And if anyone in or near Indianapolis hears anything about how the dinner went or how the local coverage plays out shoot us an email at editor@afterelton.com. Submitted by on Tue, 2007-03-20 16:14. |
User login![]() Recent blog posts
Put AfterElton.com headlines on your site/blog: |












Recent comments
1 min 49 sec ago
57 min 51 sec ago
1 hour 10 min ago
1 hour 45 min ago
1 hour 49 min ago
2 hours 11 min ago
2 hours 22 min ago
2 hours 22 min ago
2 hours 44 min ago
3 hours 40 min ago