Joumana Kidd
Joumana Kidd Photos Videos & News Pictures
By MARC BERMAN
Bob Ryan, a sports columnist for the Boston Globe, said on Boston television
Sunday night that he'd "like to smack" Jason Kidd's wife, Joumana,
because he feels she uses her son T.J. Kidd as a "prop." Ryan also
said Joumana behaves like an "exhibitionist" because of her lust for
the camera.
A shocked Bob Lobel, the host of WBZ TV's Sports Final, twice asked Ryan to
retract the "smack" remark and Ryan refused. Last night, Ryan
apologized in an interview with The Post.
Speaking about the harsh treatment Joumana received last year from Celtic
fans during the playoffs, Ryan said on WBZ, "I got theories with this
woman, this Joumana Kidd who wants to be a TV star. She wants face time on
camera. The great way to get face time is to bring the cute, little precocious
kid. Oh, great. I'd like to smack her."
At that point, Lobel interrupted, saying, "You can't say that. What's
happening here? You know what, I will give you a mulligan on that."
Ryan retorted: "I'm not looking for that."
Lobel persisted, saying, "You just don't want to smack her. You just
don't mean to say that. Really, tell me you don't?"
"Why should I say anything different than I said all playoffs last
year," Ryan said.
Ryan's remarks come two years after Kidd was charged with striking Joumana
during a domestic dispute, and nearly a year after Joumana said she felt
threatened by FleetCenter fans during the Eastern Conference Finals. The Boston
fans chanted "Wife-Beater" at Kidd.
The Globe said it would release an official statement today.
Ryan, covering last night's Game 1 of the Nets-Celtics rematch, repeatedly
said he regretted not taking back the remark right away. At the time, Ryan said
he felt he would've come off as "a hypocrite."
But moments after the show, Ryan said he knew he blew it.
"Driving home, I'm thinking that was bad, that was a mistake," Ryan
said. "I'd like to have that back. I know the times, I know the problem.
It's like saying, ‘I'm going to kill you.' You don't really mean it. I regret
it. It was a stupid choice of words. Stupid guy-talk. But I stand by the other
points."
Told about the remarks last night, Joumana said, "I feel sorry for
[Ryan] but I have nothing to say bad about him or Boston. I'm not mad at him.
I'm sorry I offend him."
Earlier in the WBZ interview, Ryan said of Kidd's wife, "First of all,
she should stay home. Joumana Kidd, who you can almost go as far as calling her
an exhibitionist herself. They use that kid as a prop. I'm so down on parents
using their kids as props.
"She's parading around in ridiculous outfits with Jason Kidd stuff all
over it," Ryan added. "She just doesn't slink in and sit in a box,
which would be fine. This irritates me."
Joumana Kidd using her son to get face time.
