Statements from Anonymous NFL Executives and Coaches about Michael Sam

Interesting...

24 hours hasn't passed and there's talk about Michael's stock dropped. The fun thing is, these NFL executives and coaches didn't reveal their identity. Here are some statements from Sports Illustrated:

"I don't think football is ready for [an openly gay player] just yet," said an NFL player personnel assistant. "In the coming decade or two, it's going to be acceptable, but at this point in time it's still a man's-man game. To call somebody a [gay slur] is still so commonplace. It'd chemically imbalance an NFL locker room and meeting room."

"I just know with this going on this is going to drop him down," said a veteran NFL scout. "There's no question about it. It's human nature. Do you want to be the team to quote-unquote 'break that barrier?'"

"His numbers are inflated," a scout said. "You've got to see through that."

"That will break a tie against that player," the former general manager said. "Every time. Unless he's Superman. Why? Not that they're against gay people. It's more that some players are going to look at you upside down. Every Tom, Dick and Harry in the media is going to show up, from Good Housekeeping to the Today show. A general manager is going to ask, 'Why are we going to do that to ourselves?'"

"You're going to have to have one confident general manager or head coach that is certainly entrenched in his position and established to draft a player like that," the assistant personnel director said. "It's one thing to have Chris Kluwe or Brendon Ayanbadejo, advocates for gay rights, on your team. It's another to have a current confirmed player."

"You shouldn't have to live your life in secrecy," the assistant coach said, "but do you really want to be the top of the conversation for everything without ever having played a down in this league?"

"There are guys in locker rooms that maturity-wise cannot handle it or deal with the thought of that," the assistant coach said. "There's nothing more sensitive than the heartbeat of the locker room. If you knowingly bring someone in there with that sexual orientation, how are the other guys going to deal with it? It's going to be a big distraction. That's the reality. It shouldn't be, but it will be."

Okay, guys. Bump all of that. Work to make it an inclusive environment. Work to make sure he's given a fair shot. Work to make sure Michael can be himself.

Interesting Quote: Andrew Luck

Yeah, I don't think players -- I can't speak for everybody, obviously -- but I would hope that there wouldn't be problems in the locker room if there was an openly gay teammate. I saw one of my old coaches Bruce Arians said that fans would probably be the worst part of it and I probably would agree. That would probably be the toughest thing. I'm sure the locker room would be a bit of a sanctuary almost.

Andrew's answer about having a gay teammate

Ex-College Football Star Kevin Grayson Comes Out

Another athlete comes out. In a recent interview with interview with WTVR in Richmond, Va., Kevin talks about his life being completely out of the closet.

Kevin Grayson was a star wide receiver for the University of Richmond back in 2011. However, Grayson tore a ligament in his knee and wasn't drafted by an NFL team. But in 2012, Grayson played in Italy with the Parma Panthers and was named MVP.

So he did well for himself after the fact. Here's his interview:

Girlfriend Hoax and Gay Rumors beset Football Player Manti Te'o

I'm sure some of you heard about Notre Dame's Manti Te'o.

He's the linebacker who had relationship with a girl for 3 years, then she died of leukemia.

Well, apparently it was a hoax. The girl never existed. So the media is going wild about this story; I heard about it through my students yesterday. But now the rumors have started and leading the pack are the gay rumors.

Here's more from Outsports:

We’ve seen rumors and heard stories about countless athletes in the past. But not since Troy Aikman have I been bombarded on email, text, Twitter and phone calls about the sexual orientation of any athlete the way I was today about Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o. The questions are in response to Deadspin’s article on Wednesday revealing that the story of the deceased girlfriend of Te’o was a complete hoax, and that Te’o (allegedly) lied about 1) knowing the woman, 2) that the woman existed and 3) having a girlfriend at all. 

The article points to a Mormon football-player-turned-gospel-singer named Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, who is allegedly behind the twitter account of the artificial girlfriend, Lennay Kekua. The two men know each other and saw each other as recently as November when Notre Dame played USC. Tuiasosopo and his family were on-field guests at the game: 

USC was unable to confirm this, but a tweet from Tuiasosopo’s since-deleted account suggests he and Te’o did see each other on that West Coast trip. “Great night with my bro @MTeo_5! #Heisman #574L,” Ronaiah tweeted on Nov. 23, the night before the game. 

The lengths to which Tuiasosopo allegedly went to create this account are detailed in the Deadspin article and include allegedly lying to family members. And according to at least one person Deadspin spoke to, Te’o was in on it the whole time.

Lord, somebody needs to clear this up or come out, because it can only get messy from here

WATCH the interview with Gay College Football Player Jamie Kuntz

Here is the 1st interview with Jamie Kuntz, the kid who got kicked off the team for making out with his boyfriend in the press box.

There are reason to think he was kicked off for being gay, but there are issues that counter that claim. I gave my views earlier, but check out the interview for yourself

College Football Player kicked off Team for kissing his Boyfriend, he claimed to be his Grandpa

This story is 'special' and borderline odd. Freshman linebacker Jamie Kuntz from North Dakota State College of Science was allegedly kicked off the team for kissing his boyfriend in the press box.

Now before we get all activist-ly, here are some interesting pieces of the story from The Slog:

Kuntz denied kissing the man with him in the press box and he denied being gay. Kuntz was on Twitter for most of the bus ride back to Wapheton. He sent some tweets that alarmed his roommate—Kuntz hinted at being suicidal—and the police were called. After the police determined that he was not a suicide risk, Kuntz sent his coach a text message saying that he was gay and that he had kissed the man who was with him in the press box. Kuntz also apologized to his coach for lying.

But that's not all, this boyfriend is 65 years-old, Jamie is only 18.

“When my coach pulled me off the bus that night and asked me who that was with me in the press box,” Kuntz says, “I said, ‘Oh, that was my grandpa up there with me. I wasn't kissing my grandpa, I don’t know what you’re talking about.’”

Kuntz says that he has always been attracted to older men. Kuntz was 18 when he met his boyfriend online and Kuntz says he was the aggressor.

“I definitely pursued him," says Kuntz. "He’s a great guy. I love him."

You know... I'm not trying to be mean, but this is not cute. Jamie is reckless, aloof and pretty much a teenager, so I expect foolishness from him. But I have to ask, why is this 65 year-old with this kid? Jamie is barely a man and this guy... I can't, I just can't!

To be real, this story is not winning me over. But I would love to hear from y'all. Please give me your view on this story. 

Former Football player Wade Davis talks about being Gay in the NFL - WATCH

Please watch after the jump. Very interesting

MSNBC's Thomas Roberts on The Gay Kiss that caused a Student Walk-Out

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Interesting Quote: Former Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin

“I don’t see how any African-American with any inkling of history can say that you don’t have the right to live your life how you want to live your life. No one should be telling you who you should love, no one should be telling you who you should be spending the rest of your life with. When we start talking about equality and everybody being treated equally, I don’t want to know an African-American who will say everybody doesn’t deserve equality.”

Michael graces the cover of OUT for the Sports issue

NFL's Nic Harris joins NOH8 Campaign

Carolina Panthers linebacker Nic Harris is another NFL player who has joined the NOH8 Campaign.

He is 1 of 2 NFL players to do this. I hope many more follow his lead. Having his face in this campaign speaks in volumes and hopefully influence others to stand up for equality.

Well done. Nic! 

Antonio Cromartie lends his support to the NOH8 Campaign

Antonio plays for the New York Jets. He is the 1st pro football player to do this. Maybe Mark Sanchez is next.

Interesting Quote: Larry Johnson Sr.

“That’s just not who we are and not what we believe. It’s not how he was raised.”

He is embarrassed and disappointed in his son, Larry Johnson, for shouting out gay slurs to reporters.

He plays for the Kansas City Chiefs and they have suspended him for that foolishness.


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Interesting Quote: Scott Fujita

"I hope he's right in his prediction, and I hope even more that it doesn't take that long. People could look at this issue without blinders on...the blinders imposed by their church, their parents, their friends or, in our case, their coaches and locker rooms. I wish they would realize that it's not a religion issue. It's not a government issue. It's not even a gay/straight issue or a question of your manhood. It's a human issue. And until more people see that, we're stuck arguing with people who don't have an argument."

Scott supporting Brendon Ayanbadejo's stance on gay marriage and National Equality March in Washington.
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Interesting Quote: Baltimore Ravens linebacker, Brendon Ayanbadejo

“If Britney Spears can party it up in Vegas with one of her boys and go get married on a whim and annul her marriage the next day, why can’t a loving same-sex couple tie the knot?

How could our society grant more rights to a heterosexual one-night-stand wedding in Vegas than a gay couple that has been together for three, five, 10 years of true love? The divorce rate in America is currently 50 percent. I am willing to bet that same-sex marriages have a higher success rate than heterosexual marriages.”

he also attended Equality Maryland to show his support

Plaxico Continues the Stereotype of Stupid Football Players

When I first read this story(thanks, David Dust), I was floored. I don't know what to think about this fool, but somebody, his momma, or someone lay hands on this silly mess of a man.

Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg with a unlicensed .40-caliber handgun at the midtown club Latin Quarter. Why he had a gun, who knows, but this is where the story gets worst.

This idiot shot himself, ran out of the club leaving a huge mess, then ran around town for over an hour trying to discreetly check himself into a hospital. When he did find a place, he used a false name and said he was shot at Applebee's (what). But the folks at the hospital knew his dumbass and reported the shooting. Later, Burress turned himself in to the NYPD and now, the team is still waiting to decide what to do about him.

Well, I have a suggestion; fire his dumbass! Send him to a seminar about being a responsible black man in sports, make him work in a morgue for a year, and put him in jail for 6 weeks. I can't believe there's not some type of social skills class in the NFL. I think it should be mandatory, especially for these boys.