Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Really....he said that? I remember the killer crossover and reminding myself that he wasn't the Hardaway that hung out with Lil' Penny, but who saw this coming? When the 11pm SportsCenter aired the conversation diatribe by Tim Hardaway on Dan LeBetard's radio show from Miami, my jaw had to be scraped off the floor of my bedroom. With every analyst, pundit and host ranging from the often articulate (but this morning tongue-tied) Mike Greenberg to the often aggravating Stephen A. Smith (predictably confrontational) in shock and awe of the idiocy Hardaway exhibited, it was hard to believe that Tim was the only player in the Major Three (or four, for that matter) that felt this way. He was the only one dumb enough to open his mouth and not answer the question with the boring, "Nah, it wouldn't be a big deal, Dan. It's his decision and that's all there is to it." Pot-stirring - certainly not, but instead Hardaway becomes a poster boy for bigotry. If Hardaway had said something instead about Amaechi being black, he would be crucified a la Michael Richards. Hardaway did something dumb, realized it (albeit too late) and now will pay dearly. Too bad we should have nothing but pity left for him.

Deadspin