'It's the nation's problem'
Kemp breaks silence on fathering kids
Posted: Thursday February 04, 1999 12:36 PM
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Kemp says his problem is his alone. Todd Warshaw/Allsport |
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Nine months after it was revealed he has fathered
seven children with six women, Shawn Kemp has
publicly admitted he was wrong.
Kemp, the Cleveland Cavaliers'
All-Star forward, had not spoken about the May 4 Sports Illustrated story
entitled "Paternity Ward" until Wednesday, when he went on Jim Rome's
nationally syndicated radio show and was later interviewed on Rome's TV
talk show.
"A lot of it was true and some of it wasn't," Kemp said of the
article.
While Kemp was vague about the specifics of his personal life, he took
responsibility for his actions.
"It's not an NBA problem. It's the nation's problem," Kemp said. "It's
not reported like that. But you can only be accountable for yourself. You
can only handle your responsibilities. I know what's right, and I know
what's wrong. I know what I did was wrong. Now I have to live with it and
be the best person I can be."
Kemp never denied any aspect of the story, which caused a public
outcry against athletes -- mainly NBA players -- who father children and
then fail to support them.
He told Rome that he and his family were stung by the criticism after
the story was published.
"When the story first came out it hurt a little bit," he said. "The
only thing I want to get out there is that I'm always going to handle my
responsibilities. That's it. I said that since day one. I'm not a perfect
person. I've made some mistakes, but I've always tried to go back and do
the right thing regardless of what I've done."
After appearing the shows, Kemp told The [Cleveland] Plain
Dealer he decided to break his silence on Rome's show to get his view
out to as many people as possible.
"You get hit up so much about it," he said. "I figured if I was going
to [talk about it], I might as well do it on something national where it
gets around. If everyone can hear it at one time, I won't have to continue
to go through it. I think it was something that needed to be said."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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