Rocker Ted Nugent has written an opinion piece published in the Washington Times, slamming the NBA for its fine on Kobe Bryant's recent anti-gay slur as part of a larger tirade against gay rights.

Some of Nugent's opinions:

"To be exact, Mr. Bryant committed this egregious verbal foul because he used a word demeaning to homosexuals, the most protected class of people in America."

"Think of it: $100,000 for calling someone a name. A simple apology from Mr. Bryant to the referee obviously wasn't good enough for the NBA. I doubt Mr. Bryant would have been fined 10 cents had he referred to the referee as a useless Christ on a crucifix soaking in a vat of urine. No, the real reason Mr. Bryant was fined was because he used an anti-gay term to describe the referee. One has to wonder how much the NBA would have fined Mr. Bryant if, before the game, he had told the referee he “looked quite gay” that night."

"If the NBA had any true gay convictions, the NBA should host a Homosexual Night. During halftime, the homosexuals could come down on the court, hold hands and prance around the court to music by the Village People. The NBA could then give each homosexual a pink basketball as a symbol of solidarity."

Nugent suggests Bryant should threaten to quit the NBA:

"Wouldn't it be refreshing if Mr. Bryant threatened to resign from the NBA over this? The amount of money the NBA would lose without Kobe Bryant helping to pack the stands would be staggering compared with the politically correct $100,000 fine levied on him. Mr. Bryant threatening to quit wouldn't make the NBA very gay. I got 20 bucks that says the NBA would toss homosexuals under the bus and fold like a cheap suit to keep Mr. Bryant in the NBA."

(via media matters)