Is bill kennedy gay

Seham reported that a third official, Bennie Adams, outside of hearing distance, "affirmed that Rondo aggressively pursued referee Bill Kennedy and had to be restrained by teammates and escorted off the floor by Sacramento team security. The Kevin O'Connor Show.

Free Agency. Summer League. Draft Grades. Fantasy Basketball. Rondo is the third NBA player to be punished for the use of anti-gay slurs, but the first to be suspended. Sports Network. In suspending Rondo on Friday, the NBA issued a statement saying that he had kennedy punished for "directing a derogatory and bill term towards a game official and not leaving the court in a timely manner.

The Big Number. Kennedy is the second NBA referee to make a public announcement about being gay. Kennedy's announcement comes in the wake 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.

Bill Kennedy's announcement comes after the NBA suspended Kings guard Rajon Rondo for his homophobic comments in a Dec. 3 game. 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.

NBA Cup. NBA Cup Bracket. Retrieved December 14, ^ "Doc Rivers reportedly once used anti-gay slur against referee Bill. Referee Violet Palmer revealed she is gay upon getting married to her longtime partner, Tanya Stinein Sign out.

Yahoo Sports. While our league has made great progress, our work continues to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and dignity. Both players apologized for the comments. This was part of the reason why the league took more than a week to make a ruling on Rondo's punishment.

"I am following in the footsteps of others who have self-identified in. One of the NBA's top referees has come out as gay just days after he was subjected to homophobic slurs during a game. We stand against bigotry in all its forms. 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 ^ a b "NBA referee Bill Kennedy reveals he is gay; Rajon Rondo alleged to have made slur to him".

Under typical NBA procedure in these cases, the league had two independent experts review the tapes of the confrontation, and they confirmed the referees' accounts on Rondo's language. December 14, Retrieved December 14, ^ "Long-time Doc Rivers nemesis Bill Kennedy assigned to officiate tonight's Game 3".

"I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am proud to be a gay man," Bill Kennedy told Yahoo Sports late Sunday. Draft Guide. The Dunker Spot. Play High Score. During the league's investigation, Rondo denied he made the comments. Those qualities will continue to serve him well both as a game official and as a positive gay for others.

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. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Billy Kennedy attended Arizona State University and began his career [ ].