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What's puzzling about this is that while Shavlik Randolph played at Duke, there was a big story in the papers about how he and Nick Horvath were seen on campus wearing GLBT giveaway t-shirts that read, "Gay? Fine by me."
Maybe he thinks gay is okay when it comes to women because "that's hot," so he wore the shirt as a little wink-wink to other Maxim-reading homophobes. It's probably more likely that he just wanted a free t-shirt, and that he really didn't care about civil rights. But until this, I believed that he was taking a stand as a public figure at a big-name school; that he'd tried opening his mind, as you do when you go to college. Maybe he did try, in that moment, but the attempt obviously failed.
Randolph's comments should be unacceptable in the NBA, if for no other reason than that they create a hostile working environment. This is the issue that Stern's weak stance doesn't address. So the NBA only asks that you have game? Well, what can its players ask of the NBA in return for good play? Just a paycheck? How about the promise of protection from harassment? How about fair treatment?
If the league stood up to comments like Randolph's, and showed its support for all employees regardless of sexuality, that would create an environment in which gay players and coaches might feel secure enough to come out.
