Gay NFL Player 'Strongly Considers' Coming Out

[Are_grits_groceries]

A closeted gay player in the NFL is considering coming out publicly, sources tell CBS Sports.com NFL writer Mike Freeman. Here are the key paragraphs in Freeman's piece:

Based on interviews over the past several weeks with current and former players, I'm told that a current gay NFL player is strongly considering coming out publicly within the next few months -- and after doing so, the player would attempt to continue his career.

I'm told this player feels the time is now for someone to take this step -- despite homophobic remarks from San Francisco 49ers defensive back Chris Culliver and the controversy arising recently at the Indianapolis Scouting combine, when prospects were asked questions about their sexuality.

This player's true concern, I'm told, is not the reaction inside an NFL locker room but outside of it. The player fears he will suffer serious harm from homophobic fans, and that is the only thing preventing him from coming out. My sources will not say who this alleged player is.

This is right now a rumor based on anonymous sources and Freeman does not know who this player is. What gives him credibility, though, is that 10 years ago he wrote a chapter in a book quoting a closeted NFL player. He also has written about the subject of gays in the NFL for years and was on a panel with Outsports to debate the pros and cons of a player coming out. So this is a subject he pays attention to, and I strongly doubt he is just making this up. That said, we have had these rumors crop up in various sports and they always wind up being false alarms.

I am surprised that this player fears fan reaction the most. There are always morons at sporting events, but my feeling is that any fan that is overtly homophobic will be shouted down not only by opposing fans but by those of his team who won't like that kind of language being tossed around.
<snip>
http://www.outsports.com/2013/3/25/4146250/report-gay-nfl-player-considers-coming-out

This would be the biggest sport's story in years. If his teammates have his back and the NFL execs don't let others target him, he will be okay. It won't be easy.
If he does come out, he will deserve and need loud and long support from every corner.

[JI7]

1. interesting, i don't watch football but Tebow is the only one i know that is closeted

because i know him from the other things he does. and based on that i can't see him coming out.

[Logical]

3. Your claim is Tebow is gay? Save face and self delete! n-t

[Are_grits_groceries]

5. Seriously?

Tebow gay? Not in this lifetime.
If he is, that is one closet that will stay closed.

[JI7]

7. actually considering he backed out of speaking at some thing sponsered by anti gays

maybe is moving in the direction of coming out.

[Are_grits_groceries]

10. That wasn't the only problem with that pastor.

The religion he was brought up in is not a moderate branch. He would be turning his back on his family. Being gay is not acceptable.
He isn't gay so he isn't coming out.

He has been under intense scrutiny for years. He would have to have a close and closed circle of gay friends to pull off hiding it. He is one person who would have been outed by someone.

[Ohio Joe]

19. "Being gay is not acceptable"

Being gay is not a choice.

[Are_grits_groceries]

22. I know that thank you very much.

I am gay.
My phrase was in relation to their outlook.

[cali]

23. that's just homophobic shit. delete it. accusing people of being gay

because you don't like them is sick.

[LonePirate]

2. This will not happen this year. The recent combine proved the owners and the league are not ready.

They will force the player to remain closeted, if the player doesn't choose to stay there himself.

I wouldn't be surprised if the player is traded to a city where he can be fired, if he doesn't already play for such a city.

[Zorra]

4. They cannot force anyone to remain in the closet. Society has tried to force all of us to

remain in the closet.

We just said no, we're not gonna take it anymore.

[LonePirate]

8. The NFL (and the three other big US sports leagues) wield far more power than most realize.

There were rumors about a month ago of an NHL player coming out within days. That never happened and the NHL is a relative weakling compared to the NFL.

With owners actively weeding out draftees by their orientation and with the league doing nothing to condemn or punish them, it's quite evident to anyone paying attention that the NFL is not ready for a gay player. As soon as the team learns of any player about to emerge from the public closet, provided this news is indeed credible, they will do everything in their power to convince the player to his mouth shut and that player will follow suit.

You can talk all you want about society and the lack of willingness of people to stay closeted nowadays. The NFL does not operate under normal rules and it certainly doesn't reflect society in the least.

[Are_grits_groceries]

15. They also have to be careful of their anti-trust status granted by Congress.

If they try to coerce someone and it gets out, someone in in Congress will be looking up their asses waving that exemption.
An out player will have some protection just by being known.

[Are_grits_groceries]

6. I don't think so.

Every move he makes in any capacity will be scrutinized. In addition, his team and its owners will also be under intense scrutiny. The NFL execs will not stand by and let him be treated unfairly. That will be made crystal clear.

If he is a star, it will help protect him from some of the shite. No matter who he is, there will be a perfect media storm.

[LonePirate]

9. They will throw more money at him or cite some other reason not to play him to keep him closeted

The NFL - the league itself as well as the owners - all operate by a completely different set of rules.

We will not see a gay NFL player until we see an openly gay college football player who is drafted into the NFL. How many openly gay college players do you know?

[Are_grits_groceries]

16. They can't do a damn thing to him

if they don't know about it. If he comes out without advising them and I would not give them a heads up, they will have to handle him with kid gloves.
In addition, the league does not want to put out a firestorm of protests if a gay player is jobbed. They have their hands full with their concussion hot mess.

[Blue_Tires]

29. I think you're forgetting

just how extreme RW most sports team owners are, and how they have countless underhanded but perfectly legal ways to make life *very* uncomfortable for a player behind closed doors...So the "scrutiny" is pretty easy to sidestep...

And fan (over)reaction is also a very definite concern, especially if the team has a huge 'red state' following...

[Scuba]

12. They'll cave to public opinion in a New York Minute.

[TheDebbieDee]

20. I disagree. I think the owners and players of the NFL ARE ready for the first

out gay player. That's why they were asking all the youngsters if they were gay at the combine. The NFL and Player's Union are looking for their "Jackie Robinson", so to speak.

They are ready to "integrate" the league with regard to sexual preferences............

[Scuba]

11. Aaron Rodgers. Ten minutes later it'll be no big deal.

[WilliamPitt]

13. Tom Brady. Ditto.

[randome]

17. No big deal to the NFL organization.

What about the players? Can they be trusted to do the right thing and treat a gay player equally? I think that's where problems may lie.

[Are_grits_groceries]

18. That is one of the

"known unknowns." Some will be fine with it. Some will hate it. Some won't care.
I think how it all plays out depends a lot on who the player is.
We won't know until it happens.

[Scuba]

21. Some will be fine with it. Some will hate it. They'll be educated by their peers.

[FreeBC]

36. I don't think it needs to be a huge name. It's time.

I'm a huge NFL fan. I think the time to talk about it is overdue, and everything in the NFL gets talked about incessantly. It will be a time for calling out those who think it's ok to have bigoted views.

[thelordofhell]

14. Just go ahead and do it Tim Tebow

It's not like we don't already know.............

[cali]

24. more homophobia in this thread. Nice, honey.

[thelordofhell]

27. I'm sorry if you're offended that Tim Tebow might be gay

Gay or straight, I couldn't care less......I find it strange though that you're only offended by the insinuation of Tim Tebow being gay, as opposed to the other posts above that insinuate Aaron Rogers and Tom Brady are gay..........To me that shows you're homophobic if you're offended by one insinuation but not the other..........

[The Link]

31. Your insinuation is homophobic.

No one insinuated Rogers or Brady are gay.

[waddirum]

34. see posts #11 and 13 above

nt

[mythology]

35. I believe those posts were made to reference that if this is a star player

the team wouldn't care because the star quarterback is irreplaceable. If it's a marginal player, then there's room for more debate or doubt on behalf of other players because the lower level players are more or less interchangeable.

[cali]

32. No. That is NOT what I'm offended by

I'm offended by people who insinuate someone is gay with no fucking evidence or reason, dearie. It's homophobic dog shit. It's using, maybe unwittingly, being gay as an insult.

The only posts I saw about Brady or Rodgers were those making the point that if the player who came out was one of the best quarterbacks in history, people would accept it quickly. Those posts, genius, were not insinuating anything.

What you posted is ugly and homophobic. I called you out on it and you, with no defense for your ugly post, seem to have decided to call me homophobic in some lame lashing out.

Pathetic, hon.

[CBGLuthier]

25. why do people post ignorant shit like this?

Yeah, we get it, you think it is funny that a christian activist QB could be gay. HAHAHA


There have you gotten enough laughter from it so it can fucking stop now?

[thelordofhell]

28. Are you serious??.........This has nothing to do with his Christianity

I posted this because other people posted that Aaron Rogers and Tom Brady are gay earlier........and nothing more.

[The Link]

30. No one posted that.

Reading comprehension.

[cali]

33. No they fucking well did NOT. Stop with the false shit claims.

[RedstDem]

26. I'm not surprised he fears homophobic fans

there's some real whacked out people out there.
there's people that would go nuts just for a player being responsible for a loss, like a missed catch or whatever, after the player comes out, every loss that team suffers would be blamed on that player, then some DB would take it on themselves to do something about it.
that's the scary part.
these players are out there, in their communities, where that player will be a sitting duck.

i would fear the worst.

[pmorlan1]

37. The Time IS Now

I hope he's a Steeler! Go Steelers!