Posted on 11/14/2007 8:07:28 PM PST by LdSentinal
LOS ANGELES 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 3-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.”
This is getting ridiculous. People need to let things slide.
They have a right to do it, but one of the problems with Political Correctness is that is seeps into every aspect of our lives. Even in private conversations people today feel compelled to avoid certain topics.
Harvard had the right to fire Larry Summers, and the lab that employed James Watson had a right to fire him, too.
But these inquisitions are very unhealthy for our society and they chill free speech and freedom of thought.
Don’t you find it a little chilling when people are actually sent to rehab for calling someone a bad name, as happened to an actor on a TV series recently (maybe you can remember which one, I think it was a medical series)?
Extremely disturbing. but the market seems to bear it. The NBA has no competition in the United States.
Exactly. Why hide from the truth if they are so proud of it?
"Gay" - pffft.
Wait, it gets worse. Have you heard that in another country they are demanding that Santa says, "ha ha ha" instead of "ho ho ho"? Forgot which country.
In poker, a king is called a “cowboy.”
I’ve heard the term “brokeback mountain hand.” It’s where you lose with a pair of kings. Basically, you got a pair of cowboys and you still take it in the...
Ah, never mind.
"Son the only thing coming out of Texas are steers and queers!"
Yep - Australia. More lunacy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.