Nick Porto, 27, and Kevin Atkins, 22, were walking down Eighth Avenue in New York City Sunday at around 5:00 p.m., when they were jumped by a group of Knicks fans who were unhappy with the game that was going on with the Indiana Pacers, according to reports.
On his personal Facebook page, Porto wrote, ""A group of Knicks fans were upset about the game and they just decided to 'f** bash' the two of us." Porto told DNAInfo, "They called us f****ts. They made fun of my jeans -- I made the jeans myself, for that day."
When Porto was describing the attack, he said, Fists started flying. I was on the ground, and the only thing I could do, I reached out and grabbed someone's hair."
Porto suffered a broken nose from the beating while his boyfriend Atkins sustained a broken wrist. The New York Police Department is looking into the case and has not yet determined whether it will be considered a hate crime, which carries stiffer penalties. The NYPD also described on person of interest as a Hispanic male in his 20s, standing six feet tall, with brown hair and a tattoo on his left arm.
This incident is not good for the NBA, who just last week had one of its players, Jason Collins, become the first openly gay male athlete in one of the major American team sports. Knicks star forward Carmelo Anthony, whose jersey one of the attackers is seen wearing, was supportive of Collins' decision to out himself in Sports Illustrated.
"It was a huge step for him to come out and make that statement," Anthony said. "For him to come out right now, be the first athlete to do so, it takes a big set to do that, especially in the society that we live in and knowing that everybody's going to have something to say," he added.
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