S. Samuel
New York Knicks star Amar'e Stoudemire has reportedly apologized to a fan after sending an alleged direct message lashing back to criticism using an anti-gay slur.
Reports of the apology surfaced Monday (June 25) morning.
“I apologize for what I said earlier,” Stoudemire allegedly messaged. “I just got off the plane and had time to think about it. Sorry bro!! No excuses. Won’t happen again.” Stoudemire is coming off hand surgery during the playoffs when he punched a glass-enclosed fire extinguisher following a Game 2 loss in Miami. He missed Game 3 and played with one hand heavily bandaged in Games 4 and 5. (FOX Sports)
Tensions flared when the offended fan received the direct message this past weekend.
The fan, whose Twitter handle is BFerrelli, tweeted his comment on Saturday and received a direct message containing an expletive and the slur from the account Twitter verifies as Stoudemire’s. BFerrelli, identified by the Daily News as Brian Ferrelli, posted a screen shot of the direct message. Direct messages can only be seen by the sender and the recipient. Stoudemire apologized early Sunday, using another direct message that BFerrelli posted as a screen shot, saying “I apologize for what I said earlier. I just got off the plane and had time to think about it. Sorry bro!! No Excuses. Won’t happen again.” (ESPN)
To make matters worse, the anti-gay exchange took place over Gay Pride Weekend.
Amar’e Stoudemire used a gay slur when lashing out at a fan in a message on Twitter, and had to issue an apology once the story blew up online. Per the NY Daily News: “In a case of atrocious timing, Knicks superstar Amar’e Stoudemire chose Gay Pride weekend to hurl a homophobic slur at a fan on Twitter. The NBA All-Star sent the crude remark Saturday in a direct message response to Brian Ferrelli’s tweet that he’d ‘better come back a lot stronger and quicker to make up for this past season.’ Ferrelli — known on Twitter as Knicks superfan ‘B ForReal!’ — didn’t keep their covert exchange to himself. He retweeted for public consumption a screen-save of Stoudemire’s direct message, including its anti-gay slur: ‘F– you! I don’t have to do any thing f-.’ (SLAM Online)
Earlier this month, Stoudemire proposed to his longtime girlfriend Alexis Welch in Paris.
Amare Stoudemire is engaged to Alexis Welch after proposing to the mother of his three children in Paris Saturday night. While overlooking the Eiffel Tower outside of their penthouse at Le Meurice Hotel Belle Etoile Royal Suite around 11 p.m. local time, Stoudemire showed Welch an 8.5-carat radiant-cut ring, worth more than $1 million. The Knicks power forward designed the ring with Los Angeles-based celebrity jeweler Shayan Afshar. (AOL Sporting News)
Check out a past Amar’e Stoudemire interview below:
