04/19/24
April 18, 2013
NFL Players Knew Teammate Was Gay, Didn't Care: CBS Sports columnist Mike Freeman makes this claim today about an unnamed NFL team and unnamed NFL player. Several players told him that a "good dozen" were aware of their teammate being gay and it didn't matter. "It was the worst kept secret on the team," one player told him. "Many of us knew and we didn't care at all. We saw him as a player, not as a gay player."
I wonder if the team is the 49ers, since one of their retired players came out a few months ago.
And Bonkers, you may be right about media reaction but as we saw Tuesday afternoon, the media will do just about anything to get eyeballs.
posted by billsaysthis at 03:52 PM on April 18, 2013
posted by jmd82 at 04:08 PM on April 18, 2013
destructive harmonics created by Rex Ryan and Tim Tebow.
What a media power couple that would make though!
posted by yerfatma at 06:44 PM on April 18, 2013
Which is why I'm convinced a player coming out is going to be a huge distraction
Meh. It'll be a "huge" distraction for a few weeks, then a minor one, then none at all.
I, for one, am looking forward to it. I hope (and expect) that generations from now people will look back at this and say, "Geez, you mean people used to hide the fact that they were gay? Why?"
posted by DudeDykstra at 07:47 PM on April 18, 2013
"Many of us knew and we didn't care at all. We saw him as a player, not as a gay player."
Which is why I'm convinced a player coming out is going to be a huge distraction-the team won't care, but the media very much will, and will make a frenzy out of it not normally seen apart from the destructive harmonics created by Rex Ryan and Tim Tebow.