Former NFL player: I played with six openly gay teammates in my career

[Fearless]

Former defensive back, Troy Vincent, was recently taken on by the NFL as executive vice president of football operations. Reflecting on changes from within the NFL, he said he thought the debate over openly gay athletes had been thrust into the public eye recently, but that players already knew they were playing alongside gay teammates.

“I think what has changed over the years is now that it has become public,” Vincent said on Thursday.

Speaking of Michael Sam, who recently came out as gay, and hopes to join an NFL team this year, he said he had been working with his team to prepare him for life in the league.

“In my 15 years in the NFL, I played with six openly gay players in the locker room. It’s a workplace and it’s up to those individuals to disclose their sexual orientation. We’ve also been working alongside Michael’s team, as a prospect and just preparing him for what life is like an NFL player … It’s nothing new for the players inside the locker room, but I think the player addressing that publicly is something we’re working on.”

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/04/25/former-nfl-player-i-played-with-six-openly-gay-teammates-in-my-career/

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Not surprising!

[longship]

1. Whoa! That's so cool.

He probably just shrugs when he says these things.

It's a so what kind of deal.

We all need to shrug.


It is no more a big deal that there have been gay NFL players than there has been gays in any other profession.

People need to open their eyes to that fact. Then, the world will be a better place than it is.

[Fearless]

2. +1

[nomorenomore08]

3. The '93 Houston Oilers supposedly had a couple of gay players who were out to their teammates.

So maybe the bigger problem all along has been more the public than the players themselves.

[MNBrewer]

4. I doubt the public is the real problem

my guess is that it's either how the front office fears the public may react, or (more likely) that the front office itself is the problem.

[nomorenomore08]

5. I suppose it depends on both the team/management themselves, and the surrounding media market.

If Michael Sam were to be drafted by a team in a progressive area like Seattle or the Bay Area, he'd probably have an easier time of it than elsewhere.