Amar’e Stoudemire acted with remorse after being whacked with a $50,000 fine by the NBA for using a homosexual slur, saying he was “disappointed’’ in himself and there was “no excuse.’’
As expected, the league punished Stoudemire for using what the league termed “offensive and derogatory language’’ in a Twitter message. Over the weekend, in a direct message that is not seen by the public, Stoudemire responded to a fan with a gay slur after the fan tweeted in harsh tones he must step up next season.
“I am a huge supporter of civil rights for all people,’’ Stoudemire said in a statement. “I am disappointed in myself for my statement to a fan. I should have known better and there is no excuse.’’
Stoudemire also used a curse word in the direct message that was handed over to a website Saturday and made public. Stoudemire later apologized in a direct message to the fan after a web story had appeared.
The fine was double the amount levied against Knicks guard J.R. Smith for tweeting a partially naked photo of a woman in his Milwaukee hotel room. The NBA takes twitter usage seriously and brags about being the most active in encouraging its use. The NBA held a social-media awards ceremony last week in which two Knicks captured honors, Jeremy Lin and Landry Fields.
It was another incident in a string of unfortunate recent episodes for Stoudemire. His role on the team decreased, his brother died in a car accident, he sustained a bulging disk in March and he needed hand surgery after smashing a glass-enclosed fire extinguisher after Game 2 in Miami.
The Knicks declined comment. Mike Woodson made a five-day trip to L.A. last week to hang with Lin, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler. Stoudemire was not part of the summit.
marc.berman@nypost.com