Rajon Rondo took to Twitter to explain why he used anti-gay slur to longtime NBA referee Bill Kennedy, but stopped short of publicly apologizing for what he has done.
According to Yahoo Sports, Rondo initially denied making anti-gay slur to Kennedy during the NBA's investigation of the Dec. 3 incident. However, he tweeted Monday afternoon that he made the slur "out of frustration and emotion" after the referee ejected him from the game.
"My actions during the game were out of frustration and emotion, period!" his Twitter post read. "They absolutely do not reflect my feelings toward the LGBT community. I did not mean to offend or disrespect anyone," he added.
Rondo did not speak with the press after he practiced with the Sacramento Kings on Monday. He was suspended for Tuesday's game against the Houston Rockets for "directing a derogatory and offensive term towards a game official and not leaving the court in a timely manner upon his ejection."
Vivek Ranadive, the Sacramento Kings owner, apologized to Kennedy.
"Rajon's comment is not reflective of the culture of the Sacramento Kings organization or the world we want to live in," Ranadive said in a statement. "He's apologized, and has been suspended by the NBA. On behalf of the team, I apologize to Bill Kennedy for any harm this may have caused."
In a report from SB Nation, Rondo gave a new statement to clarify that he is truly sorry for his action.
"Yesterday, I said my words toward Bill Kennedy were unacceptable and did not reflect my feelings toward the LGBT community," Rondo said.
"Some have interpreted my comments as a non-apology. I want to be clear, from the bottom of my heart that I am truly sorry for what I said to Bill. There is no place on or off the court for language that disrespects anyone's sexual orientation. That is not who I am or what I believe and I will strive every day to be a better person," he added.
