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NBA DROPS TIM HARDAWAY FOR HOMOPHOBIC TIRADE: Former player banned from repping league during All-Star weekend.

(February 16, 2007)

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*The NBA has kicked Tim Hardaway to the curb in the wake of his recent anti-gay remarks during a radio interview.

This means the former Miami Heat guard’s scheduled appearances on behalf of the league during All-Star weekend have been cancelled.

"It is inappropriate for him to be representing us given the disparity between his views and ours," NBA commissioner David Stern said in a statement Thursday.

Hardaway’s All-Star ban comes after the retired player released a statement apologizing for his remarks during the interview on Miami’s Dan Le Betard Show on 790 The Ticket. When the former athlete was asked about the recent coming out of ex-NBA player John Amaechi, Hardaway responded:

"First of all, I wouldn't want him on my team. And second of all, if he was on my team, I would, you know, really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that is right. I don't think he should be in the locker room while we are in the locker room."

When show host Dan Le Batard told Hardaway those comments were "flatly homophobic" and "bigotry," the player continued: "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'm homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."

In Hardaway’s apology issued Thursday by his agent, he said: "As an African-American, I know all too well the negative thoughts and feelings hatred and bigotry cause. I regret and apologize for the statements that I made that have certainly caused the same kinds of feelings and reactions.

"I especially apologize to my fans, friends and family in Miami and Chicago. I am committed to examining my feelings and will recognize, appreciate and respect the differences among people in our society," he said. "I regret any embarrassment I have caused the league on the eve of one of their greatest annual events."

      Amaechi, who detailed his life in his recent autobiography "Man in the Middle," has responded to the Hardaway drama with disappointment.

      "His words pollute the atmosphere," Amaechi said, according to the Associated Press. "It creates an atmosphere that allows young gays and lesbians to be harassed in school, creates an atmosphere where in 33 states you can lose your job, and where anti-gay and lesbian issues are used for political gain. It's an atmosphere that hurts all of us, not just gay people."

      Amaechi taped a spot Thursday for PBS' gay and lesbian program "In the Life." He said the anti-gay sentiment remains despite Hardaway's apology.

      "It's vitriolic, and may be exactly what he feels," he said. "Whether he's honest or not doesn't inoculate us from his words. It's not progress to hear hateful words."

      Hardaway represented the NBA in Las Vegas this week at a Habitat for Humanity event and a fitness promotion. The former U.S. Olympian was originally scheduled to be an assistant coach at a wheelchair game Thursday night and later appear at the fan-oriented Jam Session.

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