LSU student daily newspaper The Reveille interviewed a number of LSU football players about the possibility of having a gay teammate. While it was cool to see these young men give more than a "yes/no" answer, at least one player needs a bit of educating.
The interviews by Mike Gegenheimer produced this anti-gay gem:
"Football is supposed to be this violent sport – this aggressive sport that grown men are supposed to play," said senior LSU running back Alfred Blue. "Ain't no little boys out here between them lines. So if you gay, we look at you as a sissy. You know? Like, how you going to say you can do what we do and you want a man?"
I wonder if he'd say that to the face of Esera Tuaolo, a giant Hawaiian who played in the NFL for many years.
Still, other players were more open to it:
"College football is a business and you have to conduct yourself in a manner where you respect everyone you deal with," said LSU sophomore offensive lineman Trai Turner. "I feel like if the person is gay, he must still conduct himself in the manner of a football player, and if a person isn't gay, he must still look at the person who views himself as gay, or says he is gay, as his teammate."
…
LSU sophomore quarterback Stephen Rivers summed up the attitude in just one sentence.
"If he can play for LSU, he will play for LSU," Rivers said.
…
LSU junior kicker James Hairston said the deeper issue is the respect people show to one another throughout their lives.
"I believe that this is an important issue, one that does need to come to the forefront, that does need to be talked about," Hairston said. "But I think the main thing is people can learn as fans, as athletes, as just people in general, just respect one another and it ends at that."
Read the full article at The Daily Reveille
