Former NBA player overwhelmed by coverage

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02/12/2007 -

NEW YORK (AP) -Five days after becoming the first NBA player to acknowledge his homosexuality, former center John Amaechi said the spotlight has been chaotic.

Amaechi, whose ``Man in the Middle'' memoir will be released Wednesday, said he has been deluged with phone calls and e-mails from friends and supporters. But Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who coached Amaechi in Orlando, has been the only one from the league to reach out to him.

``I've just been caught up in the whirlwind at the moment,'' Amaechi said in an interview with The Associated Press.

He said he hoped his coming out would be a catalyst for intelligent discourse and took a measured approach to NBA players' reactions.

``I think they illustrate the diversity of opinion,'' Amaechi said. ``Some of them illustrate a great deal of naivete, and an oversimplification of the issue. And some of them don't speak with much thought at all.

``But there are some really well-spoken, provocative things that people have said that are positive. And they should be added to the conversation.''

Amaechi's also listened to some criticize him for coming out now, rather than when he was a player.

``I know that perhaps that would have been more impactful,'' he said, but added he was afraid to have his dream of playing in the NBA taken away.

``I worked really hard to get where I was. I started playing basketball when I was 17 in a country that doesn't play basketball. I was a fat kid that sat in the corner of the library, and six years later I was starting for the Cleveland Cavaliers. I left my family, my mother, when she was very sick with cancer, to do this thing.

``I thought I deserved to have my full shot at being a part of the NBA.''

Amaechi, 36, who was raised in England, competed for Penn State, then played in 301 NBA games over five seasons. The 6-foot-10 center averaged 6.2 points and 2.6 rebounds. He began his career in Cleveland, spent a few years playing in Europe and rejoined the NBA in 1999. A starter for the Orlando Magic from 1999-01, he then played two seasons for the Utah Jazz. The team then traded him to Houston, which traded him to the New York Knicks. When the Knicks waived him in January 2004, he retired.

Now, Amaechi said he hoped to inspire high-level personalities to come out as straight allies.

``I don't think it's realistic to expect that,'' he said. ``But I think if we work with them they will.''

He's been so busy he didn't realize at least one already had.

``When you do something that the whole world thinks is difficult and you stand up and just be who you are and take on that difficulty factor, you're an American hero no matter what,'' Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. ``That's what the American spirit's all about, going against the grain and standing up for who you are, even if it's not a popular position.''

Amaechi allowed a smile to wash over his face.

``He just became my friend,'' Amaechi said.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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