At least two members of the infamous 1993 Houston Oilers were gay, and many players on the team knew it, according to a report from the Houston Chronicle.
From the Chronicle:
"Listen, those guys that we're talking about were unbelievable teammates. And if you wanted to go to war with someone, you would get those guys first. Because I have never seen tougher guys than those guys," said Pro Bowl linebacker Lamar Lathon, who starred at the University of Houston. "And everybody in the locker room, the consensus knew or had an idea that things were not exactly right. But guess what? When they strapped the pads on and got on the field, man, we were going to war with these guys because they were unbelievable."
Chris Dishman even hinted that the two players would leave at lunch to have sex with one another.
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The stories from these players continues to demonstrate how far from reality the perceptions of pro athletes as big, hateful jocks have been for so long. While I doubt these straight players were marching on the state capital for LGBT equality, they had gay teammates, they didn't care, and they saw the teammates as positive contributors on the field first and foremost. Former Oiler great Warren Moon previously said he played with a gay teammate, so there is some corroboration to this story.
The Oilers became the Tennessee Titans shortly after that season, and many Titans have expressed support for their openly gay former teammate, Wade Davis.
The Oilers were the victims of one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history, as the Buffalo Bills erased a 35-3 second-half deficit in a playoff game in Houston.
Hat tip toJohn Daws