Rysheed Jordan, the starting point guard or St. John’s basketball, will not start today’s game against Providence as a disciplinary measure for his tweet of a gay slur earlier this week, according to ESPN’s Kieran Darcy:
In his statement to Outsports yesterday, St. John's head men's basketball coach Steve Lavin made it clear that public gay slurs would not be tolerated:
"All of the young men representing our University and basketball program are held to high standards. This is an example of very poor judgment by Rysheed. We will address it within our basketball family and use this unfortunate instance as a vehicle to further educate and promote personal development."
Jordan was contrite in his apology:
"I apologize for the language I used on Twitter in a conversation with my friends. It was insensitive and something I regret because I did not mean to hurt anyone."
The education is the most important thing here. This episode will generate a conversation amongst coaches and players about diversity that likely wouldn't have happened otherwise. It would be so great to see the team bring in Saunders High School basketball coach Anthony Nicodemo from Yonkers to talk with the team.
I'm glad Jordan won't miss the game as there are far bigger offenses than what he did. But sitting on the bench while others start, then joining the game? It sends a message that even the best athletes on the team aren't above the rules.
