ESPN removes homophobic Shaquille O'Neal ad

ESPN has removed an ad condemned as homophobic by LGBT rights groups. The ad on the sports network's Web site was intended to promote its NBA programming. It featured NBA star Shaquille O'Neal and sports commentator Mike Breen. In the ad, Breen attempts to fist bump O'Neal, but Breen refers to it as a "fist kiss." O'Neal recoils in revulsion saying to Breen: "You're a weirdo man. Stay over there. Fist kiss. Disgusting." The ad first appeared on the weekend and drew complaints Monday from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the Human Rights Campaign and 365gay brother publication AfterElton. Both AfterElton and 365Gay are owned by Logo, a division of MTV Networks. ESPN, which in the past has reached out to the LGBT community, has now pulled the ad and issued a public apology. "Our intent is to send a positive message about the camaraderie of sports and to do so as creatively as we can. However, we understand your perspective on this ad and would like to apologize to the members of the gay community. In addition, we have decided to remove the ad from the campaign's online executions," said Rob Tobias, ESPN's Vice President for Media Relations in a statement. "ESPN has a long-standing tradition of supporting diversity in the workplace and beyond. We are fully committed to continuing a dialogue that welcomes and recognizes diverse perspectives," the statement said. GLAAD said it was pleased with the speed in which ESPN acted. "We are pleased that ESPN realized that this ad was problematic and decided to remove it so quickly," said GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano. "Ads that exploit these kinds of clichéd stereotypes may elicit cheap laughs, but they also send a message that some people are less deserving than others of dignity and respect. We will continue to work with ESPN to promote media images of the LGBT community that are fair, accurate and inclusive." O'Neal, like ESPN, does not have a record of homophobia. In 2005 he intervened in a gay bashing on a Miami Beach street. The 7-foot-1 star saw a man yelling gay slurs throw a bottle at a gay couple hitting one man. The suspect then got into a car and sped off, but O'Neal followed. He flagged down a Miami Beach police officer and the suspect was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and assault with a deadly weapon. While ESPN has pulled the offensive ad from its Web site, it remained up Tuesday on YouTube.