If Mavericks’ Drew Gooden Did Call a Straight Guy a ‘Faggot,’ Should He Be Punished?

Like, six seconds ago NFL player Larry Johnson got into some shit for throwing around the word “fag” in public and on Twitter. Is the NBA so many worlds away that Dallas Mavericks player Drew Gooden hasn’t yet learned that calling fans “faggots” isn’t so great an idea?

After an away game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Gooden (benched with an injury) allegedly referred to actor Chris Wylde, a (married and straight) Clippers fan, as “that other faggot” after addressing Wylde’s friend as “that faggot” while walking through a stadium hallway with three other men. So, as Wylde tells Outsports, he emailed Gooden’s boss — that’d be billionaire Mark Cuban, who says he’s looking to the matter, but wants to be sure Gooden actually said what Wylde claims.

And if Cuban concludes his player did use the F-word? He “will deal with this privately and whatever we find or actions we take will stay private.” Because homophobia in athletics tastes so much better buried.

Play the replacement game: If Gooden had called someone a “spic”? Or a “kyke”? Something tells us the NBA might be involved. (For now, media like the Dallas Morning News are simply calling the remark “insensitive.”)