Holly Robinson Peete is one of Hollywood’s most wholesome and well-respected “good girls,” but the beloved star drew criticism last week after she made what some are calling an inappropriate comment about lesbians and lacrosse.
While sitting down for a panel discussion on ESPN’s “First Take,” Peete, who is married to ex-Eagles and USC quarterback Rodney Peete, discussed her background as a sports fan, as well as her time at Sarah Lawrence College.
But the conversation went left when Peete remarked that Sarah Lawrence doesn’t have big-time sports.
“We had like a lesbian lacrosse team, that’s all we had,” she said.
Co-hosts Cari Champion and Skip Bayless both appeared shocked at Peete’s comment, prompting her to ask, “You OK, Skip?”
And though the interview continued on smoothly enough, an edited video of the interview was later released with an on-air apology for Peete’s “inappropriate” comment before the studio sequence appears.
Peete has yet to comment on the scrutiny her comment has drawn.
Granted, it doesn’t seem like Peete intended any harm with her words, and to be pretty blunt it sounds like something many people have said in the privacy of their own homes, among friends. But it does bring up issues of sexual profiling, gender roles and prejudice in sports, and why the sexuality of athletes is still seen as an important factor in their image, ability and viability as players.
There may have been no malice in Peete’s words, but it paints a picture about the way women and non-heterosexuals are both seen and described in sports.
But Peete’s not the only celebrity to draw fire for perceived anti-gay comments. Check out some other offenders below. – nicholas robinson
