Corey Webster apologized for offensive comments toward the LGBTQ+ community made on X, acknowledging insensitivity and pledging to educate himself, while Perth Wildcats expressed disappointment but committed to promoting inclusiveness.
Corey Webster has issued an apology for his offensive comments towards the LGBTQ+ community, which he made on social media on Sunday. This apology comes via an official statement released by the Perth Wildcats.
Webster has conceded that his comments were insensitive. While highlighting that he didn’t intend to cause offense, he understands how his comments have been perceived and that they don’t align with the club’s values of inclusiveness.
Noting that he should have understood the consequences of his actions, Webster has committed to better educating himself and said he stands with the club on inclusiveness.
“While it certainly wasn’t my intent, I understand the hurt my comments have caused, and I am sincerely sorry for this,” Webster said. “It wasn’t how I intended my comments to be perceived, and I will take a break from social media and use that time to better educate myself on the impact comments such as this can make on individuals I may have offended.”
“We are really disappointed in these comments and have made this clear to Corey. They don’t reflect our values, and we have committed to working with Corey to help educate him about the harm such comments can bring,” Richard Simkiss, SEN’s CEO of Teams, added.
“As a community-driven club, we stand for inclusiveness and have strongly supported the NBL’s Pride Round,” the executive continued. “We look forward to promoting this initiative again in the upcoming season. Our values are clear – we want to bring people together in a positive way, and we understand our responsibility as leaders in the community to live these values both on and off the court.”
Perth Wildcats launched an investigation for an offensive social media post from Corey Webster’s account just one day before a pre-season game against gay Adelaide basketball player Isaac Humphries.
Webster’s X (formerly Twitter) account became involved in a controversy when it commented on a post from the Censored Men’s page. The post featured an image of a rainbow flag and posed the question: “What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you see this flag?”
Webster’s response to this question was highly criticized, as he replied with the words: “Mental illness.”
Although the comment was later deleted, Webster posted a subsequent message advocating for the protection of children (“protect the children”).
The guard managed to steer clear of any disciplinary action from the club. He also has taken the step of locking his X account.
