Isiah Explains Double Standard On Slurs In Garden Trial
Thomas Zambito, New York Daily News, September 18th 2007
Isiah Thomas was in a courtroom yesterday—not on the basketball court—but he was still playing games.
Jurors heard the Knicks coach say he wouldn’t stand for a white man calling a black woman a “bitch”—but wouldn’t be as angry if the same words came from the mouth of a black man.
In a videotaped deposition played for the jury at fired Knicks exec Anucha Browne Sanders’ sexual harassment trial, Thomas said he drew a distinction between whites and blacks when it came to the B-word.
Asked if he was bothered by a black man calling a black female “bitch,” Thomas said: “Not as much. I’m sorry to say, I do make a distinction.”
“A white male calling a black female a bitch is highly offensive,” Thomas said. “That would have violated my code of conduct.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t go there. . . A white male calling a black female, that is wrong with me. I’m not taking that. I’m not accepting that. . .That’s a problem for me.”
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