Torrey Craig of the Phoenix Suns has offered a heartfelt apology for homophobic and anti-gay messages he tweeted over a decade ago.
In an exclusive interview with Josh Sanders of NBC 12 News in Phoenix, Craig said he is simply not the person he was 11 years ago and regrets he ever shared those messages.
“I was young, dumb, in college, old tweets I wish I never would have retweeted or put out,” Craig told Sanders. “I deeply regret it.”
He played NCAA Division I basketball at the University of South Carolina Upstate, where he was the team’s leading scorer each of his four years with the team.
Craig was one of 40 current or recent NBA players found to have tweeted homophobic messages years ago — tweets that were still up a week ago. Craig’s were the worst of the tweets, and he is one of the few who has embraced the opportunity to express how he feels about the LGBTQ community today.
Beyond a basic recanting of his old tweets, Craig went further and talked about how he feels today and why.
“I have a son now,” he said. “I wouldn’t teach him that language, trying to be a positive role model. I hate that it was still out there. I have family and friends that are part of the LGBT [community.]”
Craig’s comments effectively supplant his 11-year-old tweets in the public record on how he feels about the LGBTQ community today.
The Suns are currently the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a shot at one of the best regular-season records of all time, currently the favorite to win the NBA Championship. The Suns have been in the NBA Finals three times but have never won the title.
You can read Sanders’ full account of his interview with Craig and see his TV report here.
