Report: Gay NFL player considering coming out
A current NFL player who is gay is seriously considering coming out publicly in the next few months with the intention of continuing his football career after making the announcement, CBSSports.com's Mike Freeman reported.
The player in question was not named by Freeman, who was not aware of the player's identity himself. However, if the player does announce publicly that he is gay, it would be a milestone event in American pro sports. There has never been an active openly gay player in a major American team sport. The player's concern, according to the report, is not how his news would be received in the locker room. His concern is the possible harm he might suffer from homophobic fans. "I honestly think the players of the NFL have been ready for an openly gay player for quite some time now," Scott Fujita, a free agent linebacker, told CBSSports.com. "Trust me, the coming out of a player would create much bigger waves outside the locker room than inside. The way I've seen the conversation around LGBT issues evolve, especially in the past few years, has been encouraging. Guys are more accepting than they used to be. Even those who raise personal objections to homosexuality, some of whom are good friends of mine, would still be able to coexist and accept a gay teammate."
It's a shame that people in sports are still homophobic. Why question his "intention of continuing his football career after making the announcement"? As if he should retire for some reason? I really hope this player comes out if this is true. It's time for the professional athletes to catch up with the rest of the world.
Top suspect as of 5/3/13: possibly Jason Collins of the NBA