Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo recently was suspended for directing a homophobic slur at NBA official Bill Kennedy, who came out Sunday as gay.
The news resurfaced an old report stemming from a 2010 interview with former referee Tim Donaghy, who insinuated that Rondo’s former Boston Celtics coach, Doc Rivers, had used similar slurs against Kennedy in a 2009 playoff game.
“(Kennedy’s sexual orientation) was known around the league, it was obvious during a game Doc Rivers questioned his sexual orientation,” Donaghy said in that interview, via CLNSRadio.com. “And I think that has stuck with Kennedy over the years and he has no love for Doc Rivers and the Boston Celtics.”
On Monday, however, Rivers denied using homophobic language toward Kennedy.
“That was not true,” the Los Angeles Clippers coach said, via NBCSports.com. “Sometimes, I hope I have more credibility than where that came from.
“Bill and I have a great relationship. But that’s been out there forever, and I would say this: It’s funny that it’s out there any nobody really asked me the question, because they knew. Not saying you shouldn’t ask the question, but it’s amazing nowadays that all you have to do is blog something or write something, and then it takes on its own life.”
According to Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck, Kennedy also claims the incident with Rivers didn’t include a homophobic slur.
Sports gambler Haralabos Voulgaris said Monday he heard Rivers use a slur against Kennedy, but later backed off a bit from that claim.
Thumbnail photo via Isaiah J. Downing/USA TODAY Sports Images
