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Richardson says he will coach in Great Falls
By FILIP BONDY
New York Daily News
NEW YORK - Micheal Ray Richardson said Thursday night he will fight for his future, and that he expected to be coaching again in the Continental Basketball Association next season for Great Falls in the state where he once starred in college.
"It's ludicrous, and hopefully it doesn't hurt me," Richardson said from Albany about his suspension as coach of the Patroons for comments he made about Jews and for the use of a derogatory word for gays. "I worked so hard. I'm sorry if I offended anybody, but it's just not me. I have five mixed-race children, one of them is half-Jewish and half-black. There's not a prejudiced bone in my body."
Richardson was suspended for the remainder of the season after episodes on Tuesday before and during Game 1 of the CBA Finals. Before the game, Richardson reportedly told writers that Jews were "crafty people."
"Listen, they are hated all over the world, so they've got to be crafty," Richardson said then. During the loss, he then used an antigay slur against a heckler.
Thursday night, Richardson said that his exchange with the heckler was unfortunate, but that it came in the heat of the moment.
He said he never intended anything negative about his quotes regarding Jews. "All I said was they're crafty people, they stick together and they're smart," he said. "What's wrong with that?"
The former Knicks and Nets star said he had received assurances Thursday from the Great Falls Explorers that he would be welcome in some coaching capacity next season - provided an ongoing investigation into Tuesday's incidents doesn't result in an extended ban.
Richardson, 51, was a standout at Montana, and was the No. 4 pick in the 1978 draft by the Knicks - two spots ahead of junior eligible Larry Bird. By his second year, he became the first player ever to lead the NBA in both steals (3.23) and assists (10.1). But cocaine was his undoing, and he then became the first player ever expelled from the league in 1986.
Ultimately, Richardson says, he would like to be an NBA scout working abroad. His family lives in the south of France.
By FILIP BONDY
New York Daily News
NEW YORK - Micheal Ray Richardson said Thursday night he will fight for his future, and that he expected to be coaching again in the Continental Basketball Association next season for Great Falls in the state where he once starred in college.
"It's ludicrous, and hopefully it doesn't hurt me," Richardson said from Albany about his suspension as coach of the Patroons for comments he made about Jews and for the use of a derogatory word for gays. "I worked so hard. I'm sorry if I offended anybody, but it's just not me. I have five mixed-race children, one of them is half-Jewish and half-black. There's not a prejudiced bone in my body."
Richardson was suspended for the remainder of the season after episodes on Tuesday before and during Game 1 of the CBA Finals. Before the game, Richardson reportedly told writers that Jews were "crafty people."
"Listen, they are hated all over the world, so they've got to be crafty," Richardson said then. During the loss, he then used an antigay slur against a heckler.
Thursday night, Richardson said that his exchange with the heckler was unfortunate, but that it came in the heat of the moment.
He said he never intended anything negative about his quotes regarding Jews. "All I said was they're crafty people, they stick together and they're smart," he said. "What's wrong with that?"
The former Knicks and Nets star said he had received assurances Thursday from the Great Falls Explorers that he would be welcome in some coaching capacity next season - provided an ongoing investigation into Tuesday's incidents doesn't result in an extended ban.
Richardson, 51, was a standout at Montana, and was the No. 4 pick in the 1978 draft by the Knicks - two spots ahead of junior eligible Larry Bird. By his second year, he became the first player ever to lead the NBA in both steals (3.23) and assists (10.1). But cocaine was his undoing, and he then became the first player ever expelled from the league in 1986.
Ultimately, Richardson says, he would like to be an NBA scout working abroad. His family lives in the south of France.
