TMZ accused Baltimore Ravens wide receiver of being “homophobic” for jokingly calling his little brother a “queen” on Friday.
Smith memorably had one of his games for the ages last year when he played for his family after one his brothers tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident (He was even heckled by Patriots fans over his brother’s death). One of those family members for whom he played was his little brother. And on Friday, Smith jokingly posted a photo on Instagram of his little brother wearing pink socks and wrote, in jest, “look at this queen.”
That prompted TMZ to accuse Smith of firing off a “homophobic slur.” Smith immediately said he was supportive of gay rights and told TMZ to look elsewhere for a story.
Smith said he was not being offensive or homophobic and was not going to take the post down. He made a point about how powerful the media can get when they decide to target somebody and said he was glad people can see how “irrelevant” some of their posts are. Much of that has to do with the power of new media and social media outlets that enable those like Smith to immediately respond to inaccurate accusations.
It is worth noting that TMZ’s editor Harvey Levin, who is gay, defended Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson’s right to say his remarks about gays and sin without being suspended and criticized A&E for its initial overreaction.
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