ESPN'S CHRIS BROUSSARD CALLS JASON COLLINS A 'SINNER' FOR BEING GAY

 Chris Broussard

There has been overwhelming support for Jason Collins since he opened up to Sports Illustrated about his sexuality earlier Monday.

As we pointed out earlier, Bill Clinton, Kobe Bryant, multiple NBA franchises and many other players have tweeted or relayed positive messages about Collins’ decision to come out.

One of the main reporters on the story for ESPN, NBA insider Chris Broussard, who was covering it for Sportscenter all day, was not one of them. As the network switched formats for its weekday segment of Outside the Lines, Broussard transformed from reporter to panelist, where his personal beliefs (which as Deadspin points out, he’s expressed before) were brought into the discussion:

“Personally I don’t believe that you can live an openly homosexual lifestyle or an openly premarital sex between heterosexuals,” Broussard said.  ”If you’re openly living that type of lifestyle, the Bible says you know them by their fruits, it says that’s a sin. If you’re openly living in unrepentant sin, whatever it may be, not just homosexuality, adultery, fornication, premarital sex between heterosexuals, whatever it may be. I think that’s walking in open rebellion to God and to Jesus Christ. I would not characterize that person as a Christian because I don’t think the Bible would characterize them as a Christian.”

Broussard’s comments came as part of a discussion about Collins and tolerance with fellow ESPN staffer LZ Granderson, who is openly gay. Broussard prefaced his above statement by saying that “true tolerance and acceptance is being able to handle [differing lifestyle beliefs] as mature adults and not criticize each other and call each other names.” While he’s certainly correct in that assessment, it will be interesting if his employers in Bristol are as accepting of his personal platform.

This is all getting a little heavy. Let’s see what Metta World Peace had to say about the whole thing:

“Whether it’s a free country or not, you should be free to act as you want to do as long as it’s not violent,” World Peace said.  ”No matter what it is. I came here in a Cookie Monster shirt because I wanted to, and I was going to wear the pants. But I thought you guys were going to judge me. I was going to wear the hat too. But I thought you guys would judge me. I didn’t want Mitch [Kupchak] to judge me. So that’s why I didn’t wear the hats and the pants. But I should’ve wore it. You should be free to do and act how you want to act.”