Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 last Tuesday when he called a referee the F word. To clarify, that would be the homophobic F word. Underneath his breath in a moment of rage he called an official the offensive gay slur.

Now, Kobe apologized, saying it was an emotional outburst, and that he didn’t mean for it to be taken literally. However, gay rights groups jumped all over him, forcing the NBA to take action against him, lest the NBA be accused of being homophobic.

Earlier this year Chris Paul was fined $15,000 for verbally abusing a ref. Josh Smith and Eddie House were fined $25,000 for making obscene gestures and Paul Pierce was slapped with a $15,000 fine for throwing an object into the stands.

In fact, Kobe’s fine is three times anyone else’s fine for saying an obscene word. Only his word happened to be a homophobic slur. So the NBA is basically saying you can take God’s name in vain … but you call a ref the F word and you have to pay $100,000.

To that I say … you have got to be kidding me.

I watch a good bit of sports and see God and the D word put next to each other in the same sentence all the time. To me, that’s the mother of all insults. They are publically taking the Lord’s name in vain and nothing is done about it.

What is it about the homophobic F word that’s so offensive that the NBA decides that’s the word that will cost a player six figures. Or is it even the word? Is it just the fact that it’s Kobe Bryant? Honestly, if the camera wasn’t on him, no one would’ve even noticed. Reading his lips was really the only indication that he said anything at all.

It’s sports, guys! That’s what’s expected of these athletes. Do we expect them to be politically correct all the time? I sure don’t. The fact is, the game was nationally televised and the NBA didn’t want be attacked and accused of being homophobic.

Get off your high horse, David Stern. People already expect a level of indecency from these players. I get being fined for dropping offensive terms. The NBA is trying to build a better image because certain individuals have made it disgraceful. But $100,000 specifically for the F slur in comparison to other fines really doesn’t make any sense. I don’t expect much from the mouth of an NBA player anyway.

The creator of the universe used in a derogatory manner? Ah, not so bad. A fit of rage leading to dropping a homophobic slur? Well, that’s just where the line should be drawn! Give me a break.