Rondo issues new apology to referee Bill Kennedy

NBA;-Bill-Kennedy

NBA referee Bill Kennedy (Eric Gay/AP)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo has offered a stronger apology for directing a gay slur at veteran NBA referee Bill Kennedy.

Rondo said Monday his actions toward Kennedy on Dec. 3 were out of frustration and not meant to offend anyone.

Rondo issued a statement Tuesday addressing those who viewed his initial statement as a non-apology. He said: "I want to be clear, from the bottom of my heart that I am truly sorry for what I said to Bill. There is no place on or off the court for language that disrespects anyone’s sexual orientation. That is not who I am or what I believe and I will strive every day to be a better person."

Kennedy told Yahoo Sports he is gay.

Rondo is serving a one-game suspension.

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.