Meet Mason Darrow, Princeton Football's openly gay offensive lineman

Cyd Zeigler of Outsports provides an in-depth interview of Mason Darrow, an offensive lineman at Princeton who shares his story of being an openly gay Division 1 collegiate athlete.

Arizona State Football Player Chip Sarafin comes out as Gay

Very interesting news here.

Edward "Chip" Sarafin, who's a senior offensive lineman for Arizona State University, has come out as gay. I believe Chip is the only out player in major college football.

Here's more on the story:

Sarafin told his story to Phoenix-based Compete magazine, a publication for gay sports. The article by Joshua Wyrick focused on Sarafin's educational studies in biomedical engineering with his goal of becoming a neurologist and on his volunteer work. The part of Sarafin being gay is addressed in an oh-my-the-way manner near the end.

He came out to his Sun Devils teammates last spring, saying, "it was really personal for me and it benefited my peace of mind greatly."

Sarafin is a fifth-year senior and the school's media guide indicates he did not play in a game his first two seasons and was on special teams last year, though there is no mention of him having played in a game. He stands 6-6 and weighs 320 pounds.

There have been other major college football players who have been openly gay on their teams -- Michael Sam was one at Missouri last year -- but Sarafin would be the first gay player to tell his story to the media while still playing.

I hope he's had a good experience in Arizona.

NFL's First Gay Star David Kopay on Michael Sam - VIDEO

Former Arizona Cardinals player Brad Thorson comes Out

Former Arizona Cardinals player Brad Thorson is out and about! He wrote about his sexuality on his personal blog over the weekend.

He wrote:

I've been told many times that the process of coming out is cathartic. Yet since coming to terms with my sexuality, I found it arduous and unnecessary. At least that's what I kept telling myself. So today, I'm putting it in writing and not looking back.

I'm gay.

I'm also an athlete. For years, I struggled to unite these two identities in my own mind. Not until after my professional athletic career came to an end did I allow myself to understand my sexuality. Now, three years later, I'm finally ready to share that with people.

If not for the strength of athletes like Jason Collins, Michael Sam, and Brian Sims, I would likely still be struggling with my own cognitive dissonance. Each of their stories reinforced the truth that there is nothing wrong with being a competitive athlete and gay. Just as their stories helped me come to understand and accept myself, I've gotten to a point in my life where I hope to help someone else to understand his or her identity as a gay athlete.

Cool beans. Good luck, Brad!

Gay Former NFL Player Roy Simmons has Died

Sad news...

Former offensive lineman for the Giants and the Washington Redskins, Roy Simmons died today. He was one of few and first line of football players to come out after their careers were done.

The cause of his death was related to pneumonia. According to his brother Gary, Roy learned he had HIV in 1997 as well as other health problems.

Roy struggled with an abusive past and a drug addiction, but fought hard to stay sober. In 2006, Roy released a memoir, “Out of Bounds: Coming Out of Sexual Abuse, Addiction and My Life of Lies in the N.F.L. Closet.” If you get the chance, check it out.

I hope Roy finally finds peace. He was 57.

R.I.P. Roy.

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Foolishness Alert! Lobbyist drafts bill to ban gays from NFL - WATCH

WTF?

Washington lobbyist Jack Burkman wants to create legislation that would ban gay athletes from joining the NFL.

Here is Jack's crazy ass statement:

”We are losing our decency as a nation. Imagine your son being forced to shower with a gay man. That’s a horrifying prospect for every mom in the country. What in the world has this nation come to?”

 Pure MESS!

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Survey shows Hope for a Gay Football Player

ESPN.com's NFL Nation and ESPN The Magazine created an anonymous survey to see how a gay football player would fair on a team. The results were interesting and a bit hopeful.

• 51 players responded to four true-false questions on the survey.
• The survey revealed that most players wouldn't be torn up about it, but would need training on how to deal with an openly gay teammate.
• 44 players said a teammate's sexual orientation wouldn't matter to them.
• 39 players said they would be fine showering around a gay teammate. 
• Not so good part:  32 players said they had teammates or coaches who used homophobic slurs last season.
• 25 players said that a gay teammate would be comfortable in the locker room, but 21 said no, and 5 of didn't answer.

The team or teams will need some type of training or seminar to get them ready. The league will have to get behind this initiative in order for it to be successful. No half-stepping.

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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.

We almost had the 1st Openly Gay NFL Player... So, What Happened?

Word on the street is we almost had a NFL player come out to the world last spring... But the plans fell apart.

According to the Bleacher Report, the player were set to make this happen, and then, POOF! Nothing.

What went wrong? Well, many teams were are not ready. The process could take a lot and some teams didn't have the efficient tools for success. Also, several teams passed on the player, making it challenging to move forward positively.

Bleacher Report listed more reasons, check them out after the jump:

Sad this didn't happen

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:

Gay Placekicker Alan Gendreau will continue his quest for the NFL

Former Middle Tennessee State gay placekicker Alan Gendreau wants to be in the NFL. He was the talk of the weekend with the possibility of bringing drafted




However, he wasn't picked but he's still pushing on

Just an FYI. I am NOT a part of the NFL draft. I am training right now with hopes of landing a tryout at a training camp in a couple months!
— Alan Gendreau (@AGendreau38) April 27, 2013

I wish you good luck and strength, Alan. Make us proud.

Wade Davis: I wish I had the Guts to Come Out in the NFL

Former NFL Quarterback Kurt Warner wants Gays in Football - VIDEO

Gordon James Klingenschmitt: Allowing Openly Gay NFL Players Is "A Demonic Use Of The Sporting Industry"

NFL meets with LGBT Rights Groups

The NFL has met with LGBT rights to provide support for gay football players.

HuffPo has the story

Representatives from three LGBT groups -- Athlete Ally, GLAAD and You Can Play -- attended the Wednesday meeting at NFL headquarters in New York City. Former Tennessee Titan Wade Davis, who came out as gay in 2012 after he was done playing professional football, participated as well. They met with Troy Vincent, NFL senior vice president of player engagement, and several other NFL officials.

"We had a productive meeting in our office," Vincent told Outsports. "We embraced the opportunity to review with the groups our policies that prohibit discrimination in the workplace. ... In addition, we also discussed the ability of all personnel, including players, to express their opinions and feelings. We look forward to continuing the dialogue with these organizations and further educating everyone associated with the NFL about the importance of respect and inclusion in the office, the locker room and on the field."

The NHL is also taking big steps to welcome out players. I never thought I would something like this happen so fast. I hope the other major leagues follow suit.

Bryan Fischer: No Place for Gay Players in NFL

The ED Show discusses Gays in the NFL

On the Ed Show, the topic of gays in the NFL came up. This story was mostly fueled by the incident with University of Colorado tight end Nick Kasa.

He was asked if he 'liked girls' by NFL team during try-outs. This quickly became a huge story within a matter of hours.

Watch the clip from the ED Show

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I can't fully agree with Brendan, I want the to come out and challenge the norm. However, I get it and it really sucks.

Interesting Quote: Fox Sports contributor Jason Whitlock

Whatever the case, difficult questions must be asked, and they should come from the commissioner’s chair. It’s Goodell’s job to protect The Shield. It’s Goodell’s job to protect the employees. 

The best protection for the league and the players is the freeing of the gays.
Let’s be honest. I think it’s reasonable to assume that 15 percent of NFL players are gay and/or bisexual. Generally speaking, they’re forced to conceal their sexuality out of fear of being ostracized and potentially released from the team. 

They need to be set free, released from the grip of the most hostile work environment in America. Is there a more homophobic work setting than a football locker room? I can’t think of one.

Jason is calling on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to 'free the gays'

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Interesting Quote: Brendon Ayanbadejo

“I believe that there are not as many gay people in the NFL as in the regular population. This is a discussion I’ve been having on Twitter for quite some time now. Some people say, ‘You’re stupid.’ But even though there is not yet a proven gay gene, I believe people are born gay. It is a natural phenomenon.

There are definitely gay players in the NFL. I’m not saying that there are not. Some people say the gay guys in the NFL aren’t coming out because they’re scared and worried about what’s going to happen to their careers. But I think the first person who comes out and says they are gay, everyone is going to write a book and do stories about them. They’re going to make a lot more money by saying they’re gay than by not saying they’re gay. But are we ready to hear that? Is that person going to be comfortable to do that? I don’t think they are right now because of society and the way things are.

Eventually, I think there will be someone. But the number (of gay players) is so minute. If they say the regular population is 7 to 9 percent (LGBT), in the NFL it might be 3 percent. I could be completely wrong, but I’ve played for so long and so many others have. When you hear players coming out that are retired, they are few and far between. Why wouldn’t we hear about more players if it’s the same percentage like in the regular population?

What I’m saying is controversial. There is no proof. It’s just my theory.”

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