ESPN.com columnist and very good friend of Outsports LZ Granderson was gay-bashed in New Orleans last weekend while there for the NBA All-Star game. As he says in his column, he (ironically) was on his way to the Playboy party when he came across a group of guys who didn’t like how tight his shirt was.
When the eight to 10 guys surrounded me, I knew I was going to get hurt. When the first one pushed me in the back, I remember thinking I was going to die. After a second shove, I had no thoughts at all — only fear.
He also talks in the column about the Brady Quinn gay-bashing incident and calls the media (whom I think are the biggest hurdle in ending homophobia) and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on the carpet for not doing more about the story.
But what I do know is that the incident warranted more attention from the media and the NFL than what was given. I felt that way before nearly getting beat up this weekend and obviously I feel even more strongly about it now. I’m not looking for Tiger Woods/”lynch” controversy attention, but certainly something more than a brief on the back pages or joke fodder for blogs. We should want answers, not hollow apologies and inconsistent PR statements.
LZ will have an online chat today at ESPN.com, and he’ll be talking about Quinn and the incident in New Orleans. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
(Hat tip to Ted Rybka at GLAAD)
ESPN.com columnist and very good friend of Outsports LZ Granderson was gay-bashed in New Orleans last weekend while there for the NBA All-Star game. As he says in his column, he (ironically) was on his way to the Playboy party when he came across a group of guys who didn’t like how tight his shirt was.
When the eight to 10 guys surrounded me, I knew I was going to get hurt. When the first one pushed me in the back, I remember thinking I was going to die. After a second shove, I had no thoughts at all — only fear.
He also talks in the column about the Brady Quinn gay-bashing incident and calls the media (whom I think are the biggest hurdle in ending homophobia) and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on the carpet for not doing more about the story.
But what I do know is that the incident warranted more attention from the media and the NFL than what was given. I felt that way before nearly getting beat up this weekend and obviously I feel even more strongly about it now. I’m not looking for Tiger Woods/”lynch” controversy attention, but certainly something more than a brief on the back pages or joke fodder for blogs. We should want answers, not hollow apologies and inconsistent PR statements.
LZ will have an online chat today at ESPN.com, and he’ll be talking about Quinn and the incident in New Orleans. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
(Hat tip to Ted Rybka at GLAAD)
