Monday, March 25, 2013

NFL player coming out?

It's another one of these.  I saw this article today written by The Sports Xchange that popped up on yahoo.  There's apparently an NFL player who is considering coming out.

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

9 comments:

Michelle said...

Anyone remember any sports blinds from Ted that were about this and not cheating. I have no idea who it would be . . .

mo said...

I agree that it's a shame that the professional footfall is so homophobic. I really hope the person comes out and is accepted.
I don't know too much about NFL players, but I immediately thought of Tim Tebow. For whatever reason, I just have always thought he might be gay. But he is really christian too, so if it is him, that's just another reason why he wouldn't be coming out. So it's probably not him.
Can't think of anyone else!

mo said...

Okay I just googled some things about Tim Tebow and I see that he would be the last person to probably come out! Apparently he is rumored to be "anti-gay". Makes me sick!

Rita said...

This blind clearly states that it is not homophobia WITHIN sports organizations that cause fear and caution, but rather the fans. The population. Those who roar in the stands, at their TV screens, and influence how a sport and its athletes are marketed.

If you hear what is roared in the stands during an Indy race, you would be ashamed that this still happens in the US in 2013 no less. And how the crowd had roared its xenophobia when the FLOTUS appeared with her children after the President's first election? You would be rightfully outraged.

Same goes for tailgates before some of the Football games; You would be horrified and ashamed as well.

The crowd, and more accurately, the American sports fan can be quite scary, in the most vicious of ways. And would quite naturally cause one to pause before submitting not only themselves, but their families and friends as well, to such unabashed hatred.

That being said, Tim Tebow would do America a lot of good with his coming out. Because of his religion. Because of his standing as an "All American Football Player".

Anonymous said...
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blurry vice said...

I am wondering if this was about Jason Collins, the NBA player that just came out.

Johnny said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Johnny said...

I initially thought this might be about Kerry Rhodes, an NFL safety who has recently been plagued by gay rumors, not to mention an outing by an "alleged" ex-boyfriend. Reading an article about the gay rumors on Rhodes, Kerry Rhodes Gay? Alleged Ex-Boyfriend Russell 'Hollywood' Simpson Releases Text Messages To Prove Relationship, it seems he may not fit the profile given some clues about the closeted-player (stated within the article itself). Also, there are apparently a number of NFL players in the league who are gay, but just not ready to come out.

Most importantly, it seems there was a follow up blind item to the original one posted, which gives more clues about who this can be. Teammates, coaches knew of gay NFL player and didn't care One of the clues, that "the athlete switched teams before the 2012 season," means it is an NFL player who had been traded onto his current team fairly recently. Not sure if that's really going to narrow it down, but it eliminates Jason Collins, who plays NBA not NFL.

Dana said...

http://www.laineygossip.com/Olivia-Munn-and-Aaron-Rodgers-are-moving-fast/30462

I think this is a belated reveal that this was supposed to be Aaron Rodgers.
"Rodgers, for those of you who don’t follow sports, is the all-star QB of the Green Bay Packers, 30 years old, and a big deal in the NFL. As my colleague from The Social, Cynthia Loyst, would say, a total “dudey dude”. He used to date Jessica Szohr. He’s also been the subject of rumours going around last year that he would be the major athlete to make a big coming out announcement. There were some sketchy reports too that he and his assistant, a man, were a couple. '

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