Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah was fined $50,000 on Monday for directing an anti-gay slur at a fan during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals in Miami, which just so happened to be witnessed by a national TV audience. Noah's Bulls lost back-to-back games for the first time since February and fell behind 2 games to 1 to the Miami Heat in the best-of-seven series. Noah publicly apologized and said he would "learn from my mistakes" and acknowledged that being frustrated over picking up his second foul did not excuse his words. "I'll remember," Noah said. "I'll remember it for a long time." Noah's memory will be assisted by the $50,000 fine, which is 1.6% of Noah's $3,000,000 annual salary...slightly more expensive than Noah having his Mom wash his mouth out with soap.
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Joakim Noah had a bad weekend: Game 3 loss in the Eastern Conference Finals?
Check. One point in Game 3? Check. Using an anti-gay slur on national TV?
$50,000 check made out to the National Basketball Association. |
Joakim Noah's teammates supported him despite his unfortunate and inopportune choice of words; meanwhile, Lance Armstrong's teammates keep turning against him. World-class cyclist, Tyler Hamilton, who was one of Armstrong's former teammates on the USPS cycling team, said on "60 Minutes" over the weekend that Armstrong provided illegal drugs to teammates, showed them how to use them, used secret cellphones and code words like Edgar Allen Poe for EPO, a blood-boosting drug, and paid his way out of a positive test. Armstrong continues to deny that he has ever used performance-enhancing drugs by reiterating that he has never tested positive for a drug test.
Given Hamilton's strong accusations against Armstrong on Sunday, Lance may have been wishing that the world was actually going to be ending on Saturday so the interview wouldn't air. I wonder if Armstrong also has a code word for "judgment day"? Which brings us to another person who had a bad weekend. 89-year old Harold Camping, whose doomsday predictions went unfulfilled over the weekend, emerged from his house on Monday morning and made his first public comments since his failed prophesy: "It has been a really tough weekend...But now I have nothing left to say."
At least Joakim Noah and Lance Armstrong understand how he might feel.
