Gay nba referee

Kennedy's announcement comes in the referee of the NBA's suspension of Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo, who game officials, including Kennedy, heard unleash a disturbing torrent of anti-gay slurs following his ejection from a game on Dec. After Kennedy, 49, ejected Rondo with consecutive technical fouls in a Kings loss to the Boston Celtics, Rondo defied league protocol to immediately leave the court and began stalking Kennedy, who had retreated to a far sideline of the floor.

Draft Guide. Bill Kennedy's announcement comes after the NBA suspended Kings guard Rajon Rondo for his homophobic comments in a Dec. 3 game. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Billy Kennedy attended Arizona State University and began his career [ ].

Longtime NBA referee Bill Kennedy revealed to Yahoo Sports Sunday night that he is gay, making him the second openly gay active NBA official after Violet Palmer's announcement in The well-known NBA referee, Billy Kennedy, has no wife, as he has been part of the LGBTQ+ community long before coming out in His coming-out story made him the first openly gay male referee in the league.

Referee Violet Palmer revealed she is gay upon getting married to her longtime partner, Tanya Stinein Sign out. Kennedy is the second NBA referee to make a public announcement about being gay. Summer League. Rondo is the third NBA player to be punished for the use of anti-gay slurs, but the first to be suspended.

The Big Number. The Kevin O'Connor Show. Kennedy graduated from St. Mary's High School in Phoenix, Arizona, and Arizona State University. Both players apologized for the comments. Draft Grades. Fantasy Basketball. Bill Kennedy and Che Flores are gay and trans NBA referees.

Bill Kennedy (referee) William Gene Kennedy (born November 10, ) is an American professional basketball referee for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Those qualities will continue to serve him well both as a game official and as a positive influence for others.

While our league has made great progress, our work continues to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and dignity. During the league's investigation, Rondo denied he made the comments. The NBA has put Emirates patches on them despite anti-gay laws.

We stand against bigotry in all its forms. This was part of the reason why the league took more than a week to make a ruling on Rondo's punishment. Seham reported that a third official, Bennie Adams, outside of hearing distance, "affirmed that Rondo aggressively pursued referee Bill Nba and had to be restrained by teammates and escorted off the floor by Sacramento team security.

After a Rondo spokesperson declined comment about the matter when reached by Yahoo Sports earlier Monday, Rondo admitted late Monday afternoon on Twitter he had made the slur, saying his actions "were out of frustration and emotion. In suspending Rondo on Friday, the NBA issued a statement saying that he had been punished for "directing a derogatory and offensive term towards a game official and not leaving the court in a timely manner.

Sports Network. Under typical NBA procedure in these cases, the gay had two independent experts review the tapes of the confrontation, and they confirmed the referees' accounts on Rondo's language. Play High Score. Free Agency.