NBA superstar Ben Simmons blasts The Footy Show crew over ‘eye-opening’ incident
Ben Simmons has opened up about his experiences with bigotry and why it is important to talk about racism. The NBA superstar also spoke about an “eye-opening” incident with The Footy Show.
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NBA superstar Ben Simmons has blasted “idiots” on The Footy Show while opening up about an incident.
Melbourne-born Simmons, a $242 million player with the Philadelphia 76ers, has spoken to the DoMore project that encourages Australians to challenge racism.
Simmons opened up about his experiences with bigotry, and renewed claims he was racially profiled while trying to enter the gaming floor at Crown Casino last year.
Asked if he’d encountered a backlash for speaking out, Simmons told interviewer Linda Marigliano: “The only backlash I’ve had is (from) writers, media people. They had some people on The Footy Show who were just idiots.
“I don’t know his name. But it just opened my eyes. I’m old enough to know that’s wrong. For you to say certain things on TV and go about it that way just shows how you are.”
It is believed Simmons was referring to AFL star turned commentator Kane Cornes who said he was “sick of Ben Simmons” during an appearance on The Sunday Footy Show.
Cornes took a swipe at Simmons, after seeing the Essendon fan wearing the colours of a number of different AFL teams.
“Gee whiz I’m sick of Ben Simmons. Head back to Philadelphia, Simmons,” Cornes joked.
The Herald Sun is not suggesting the comments made by Cornes were of a racist nature.
Simmons said he experienced racism growing up in Melbourne and Newcastle.
“I’ve had personal experiences where I’ve been called the n-word, I’ve had experiences of someone calling my dad the n-word and running. I’ve had different altercations.”
Citing the Crown Casino incident, Simmons said: “A recent one, was in Australia when I was back home. I felt myself and my friends were discriminated against, and were racially profiled. It was definitely a shock for me.”
He added: “It felt good that I had a lot of support (for speaking out about the incident). For me to speak up, I wanted to give other people that courage to feel the same way. Just because your appearance may be a little different, or you’re from somewhere else, it doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t take people being negative, racist toward you, or feel less of a person.”
Crown “strenuously” rejected reports it discriminated against Simmons.
Simmons said he was also subjected to racial taunts when he played footy.
“Parents yelled all types of things at me when I was playing footy (about) how I looked. I was bigger than the other kids, (and) I was black,” he said.
“Those parents probably weren’t as educated as some people in terms of black experiences.”
He said his father, former NBL player Dave Simmons, told him: “Don’t ever let anyone bring you down because of who you are.”
Ben said racism is “a big topic and people don’t want to talk about it ... but we have to talk about it.”
He added: “I’m blessed to be in the situation I am. I’m one of the top athletes in Australia, and my voice is going to be heard. I want people to know have their back, and I support them.
“Australia is known for being a very diverse place, but that’s not enough. We need to show that we’re a diverse country and we appreciate every culture, and every person there.”