? Punishment doesn't fit crime for NBA player's outburst
? Lakers star fined just $100,000 for verbally abusing referee
Wayne Rooney learned the hard way and now it seems LA Lakers' star Kobe Bryant is going to have to think twice before expressing himself too. Bryant was fined $100,000 (�61,000) for calling the referee a "fucking faggot" during the Lakers' win over the San Antonio Spurs last week.
There was an understandable furore but the gay ex-NBA player John Amaechi told the New York Times: "I'm surprised that people are surprised. This is common language when I played." He also pointed out that where sport has made moves on racism, homophobia remains an issue. "I can tell you that I've been called a faggot fairly routinely, and yet people seem to hold off on calling me the N-word. We've got to mirror that progress."
Bryant apologised but perhaps progress would be better served were the punishment slightly more severe. The fine was one fifth that given to the Lakers' Vladimir Radmanovic for violating his contract by going snowboarding, half that given to the New York Knicks for trying out college players before they were eligible to do so and the same as was meted out to Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis for just talking about the collective bargaining agreement ? a crime offensive to a group considerably smaller than the gay community: NBA officials.
DAGESTAN Carlos takes home a super car
There was a surprise for Roberto Carlos at his 38th birthday, reports website My Dagestan, when a model car turned into the real thing. Suleyman Kerimov the billionaire owner of his club, Anzhi, was to give Carlos a commemorative miniature but at the event told the player there was a full size-version for him. And outside was a Bugatti Veyron, the world's fastest and most expensive (base model just over �1m) road car. But it was not just special treatment for Carlos, Kerimov promised the same shiny motor to every one of his side if they win Russia's Premier League within four years.
CANADA
Canadians warn medics to stop passing the puck
Everyone knows the Canadians love their ice hockey, but just how much was demonstrated twice last week, first when a federal election debate was rescheduled so it didn't clash with a Montreal Canadiens play-off game. As the Montreal Mirror put it: "Watching play-off hockey is about six million times more fun than our debates."
Next, the Calgary Herald reported that British Columbia medical officials have told surgeons to stop discussing hockey during operations. The issue came to light when a patient complained of the hockey talk during a procedure for which he had been given a local anaesthetic. "He could hear everything," said the Herald, and was worried "it would disrupt his surgeon's concentration".
A hockey obsession that also perhaps explains the antipathy towards David Beckham who, playing with the LA Galaxy in Toronto, was met with this in the Toronto Star: "How the David Beckham experiment ends ? feebly and with few on hand to watch it pass."
USA
Mickelson miffed at doughnut display
Phil Mickelson famously celebrated his 2010 Masters win by turning up at a Krispy Kreme doughnut emporium in his winner's green jacket, an employee took a picture and it went viral. A year later and Phil is in a less sugary mood. Discovering the store had erected a billboard featuring the picture, his lawyers stepped in. NBC quoted website TMZ as saying "Phil's camp was PISSED ?" The display was removed.
Minki van der Westhuizen Katharine Towne Malia Jones Jennifer ODell Jenny McCarthy
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