Basketball star Anthony Edwards has apologized after he used homophobic language to describe a video he took of a group of men standing together on the sidewalk.
In a since-deleted video posted to his Instagram story, the player for the Minnesota Timberwolves can reportedly be heard mocking the men, saying, “look at these queer a** n****rs.”
On Sunday, he tweeted an apology, writing that what he said “was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful.”
“I’m incredibly sorry,” he continued. “It’s unacceptable for me or anyone to use that language in such a hurtful way, there’s no excuse for it, at all. I was raised better than that!”
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What I said was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I’m incredibly sorry. It’s unacceptable for me or anyone to use that language in such a hurtful way, there’s no excuse for it, at all. I was raised better than that!
— Anthony Edwards (@theantedwards_) September 11, 2022
A statement from the Timberwolves’ President of Basketball Operations, Tim Connelly, has been posted to the NBA website: “We are disappointed in the language and actions Anthony Edwards displayed on social media. The Timberwolves are committed to being an inclusive and welcoming organization for all and apologize for the offense this has caused to so many.”
Outsports lambasted the team for this lackluster response, criticizing the fact that LGBTQ people were not mentioned in the statement and that the team has shared nothing about this incident on social media.
Players have been fined before for using homophobic language, and according to ESPN, the NBA is currently reviewing Edwards’s incident.
In 2021, Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant was fined the largest amount permissible by the NBA for his direct messages to actor and comedian Michael Rapaport.
He used derogatory remarks — criticized as homophobic by some and acknowledged as “inappropriate” by Durant — toward Rapaport. As a result, the NBA announced a $50,000 fine levied against Durant, reportedly the most allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.
