By Rand Paul
Obama acts as though we no longer have a Constitution
Washington Wizards center Jason Collins on Monday became the first "active" player in the "big four" of American professional sports to reveal he is gay, and the immediate reaction from athletes was overwhelmingly supportive.
Jason Collins, an NBA center who ended this season with the Washington Wizards, says he's gay, becoming the first openly gay athlete playing in one of the leagues considered to be the "Big Four" of major North American professional sports.
With the simplest of sentences, NBA veteran Jason Collins set aside years of worry and silence to become the first active player in one of four major U.S. professional sports leagues to come out as gay.
"The No. 1 thing we need to get is to get our players' health right," Grunfeld said. "Rest up this summer, get our health right, come back next year with all our players, and there'll be some additions in the offseason."
His nightly walk toward the tunnel is slow. His head is down, his body language unmistakable. This was supposed to be his year to break through, to lead his team out of mediocrity and into the playoffs. His chance to have his name spoken alongside the Celtics' Rajon Rondo, the Thunder's Russell Westbrook, the Clippers' Chris Paul.
Not content to stand pat after a fifth-place finish and first-round playoff exit, the Atlanta Hawks went through a wholesale makeover in the offseason. Danny Ferry was hired as the new president and general manager in June, after spending five seasons as the general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers and last season as president of the San Antonio Spurs.
By the time the Washington Wizards play their next game at Verizon Center, calendars will have flipped from October to November and Election Day will be just three days away.
The Wizards' path to respectability is littered with land mines, potholes and other assorted obstacles in the Eastern Conference. But at least Washington seems headed in the right direction, having jettisoned the goofballs and blockheads who steered it off course the past few seasons.
At an appearance at Simon Elementary School in Southeast D.C. Friday morning, Wizards point guard John Wall made it clear how important the upcoming season was going to be for him. Unfortunately, it's off to a disappointing start.
No one would suggest that D.C. has suddenly morphed into the nation's sports capital. The city has too much losing in the rearview mirror — and too many transient fans on the side — to make a grand proclamation just yet. But Washington clearly has been a center of attention lately in the world of professional fun and games.
Championships aren't won in the offseason, but as Washington Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld was quick to point out, every journey begins with a single step.
The Washington Wizards added some depth at small forward and shooting guard by signing seven-year veteran Martell Webster on Wednesday. The 6-foot-7 swingman signed a one-year deal that is reportedly worth $1.6 million.
It's not often that a player uses the word "ecstatic" to describe leaving a playoff team to join a lottery team. A.J. Price did.
The news came as little surprise to fans in Washington, or to Andray Blatche. The Wizards made it official Tuesday, when they released the unpopular and underperforming power forward by using the amnesty provision in the NBA's collective bargaining agreement.
The mutual admiration was obvious as Washington Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld and former Florida guard Bradley Beal stood together on the practice court shortly after Beal's pre-draft workout last month. The two seemed completely in sync.
Ernie Grunfeld, the Wizards' president, said in a statement the team released, "We are extremely proud of Jason and support his decision to live his life proudly and openly.
Jason Collins receives support from team, NBA rivals and others after coming out as gay →
