Free Republic

Former basketball star John Amaechi is considering legal action against a bar in Manchester's gay village that refused to let him in. The 39-year-old said a doorman at Crunch on Canal Street described him as "big, black and could be trouble". Mr Amaechi, who was out with friends on Friday, has complained to the council and demanded an apology from the bar. Crunch said entry was refused on safety grounds and called the allegations "outrageous and unfounded". Mr Amaechi's office has written to the club to seek an explanation for why he was refused entry. 'Issues of bigotry' "I want...

England's John Amaechi, a former NBA player who reveals in a new book that he is gay, told ESPN that he believes his homosexuality was a factor in his parting ways with the Utah Jazz. Speaking on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" about his upcoming ESPN Books publication "Man in the Middle", Amaechi became the first former NBA player to announce he is gay, a fact revealed in a magazine story last Wednesday. Amaechi is convinced his gay lifestyle was a factor behind Jazz coach Jerry Sloan not using him at the start of the 2003-2004 season. "It's not necessarily just...