Wolves' Anthony Edwards fined $40K over homophobic video posted on Instagram
MINNEAPOLIS -- Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has been fined $40,000 for using "offensive and derogatory language" he used in a video he posted on his Instagram story Sunday.
The fine was announced Tuesday by NBA President of League Operations Byron Spruell.
In the video, which Edwards uploaded earlier in the month, he can be heard mocking a group of four shirtless men, using the homophobic epithet "queer" to describe them, and adding, "Look what the world done came to."
Edwards deleted the video and posted an apology for his comments.
"What I said was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I'm incredibly sorry," he tweeted. "It's unacceptable for me or anyone to use that language in such a hurtful way, there's no excuse for it, at all. I was raised better than that!"
What I said was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I’m incredibly sorry. It’s unacceptable for me or anyone to use that language in such a hurtful way, there’s no excuse for it, at all. I was raised better than that!
— Anthony Edwards (@theantedwards_) September 11, 2022
Following Edwards' apology, the Timberwolves' President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly issued a statement:
"We are disappointed in the language and actions Anthony Edwards displayed on social media. The Timberwolves are committed to being an inclusive and welcoming organization for all and apologize for the offense this has caused to so many."
Edwards is not the first player to have been fined for inappropriate language. Denver Nuggets forward Nikola Jokic was fined $25,000 for saying "no homo" during a postgame interview in 2018, and Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant was fined $25,000 in 2021 for using a profanity towards a fan in Atlanta.