Mayzie Epperson
Sports Management
November 12, 2014

Gay Rights in NFL The N.F.L.’s investigation into why a team employee asked a college player if he liked girls during last month’s scouting combine has found that the comment was part of casual banter ­ “chatter that was inappropriate” ­but not part of a formal interview process, said Robert Gulliver, the league’s top human resources executive.
(nytimes.com, 2014) From highly publicized support of same­sex marriage initiatives by some players last fall to the San Francisco 49er Chris Culliver’s anti­gay remarks during Super Bowl media day, from Katie Couric asking Manti Te’o if he is gay to Chris Kluwe and Brendon
Ayanbadejo filing an amicus brief asking the United States Supreme Court to reject
California’s ban on same­sex marriage. A series of controversial episodes has made the
N.F.L. the awkward vessel for fighting with one of sports’ most stubborn taboos — that of the gay athlete — and for the country’s larger debate about gay rights. After Kasa said he was asked about liking girls, and at least two other players indicated they were asked similar questions, the league issued a statement noting that its policy did not allow sexual orientation to be considered in hiring, and that all teams were expected to obey employment laws.

“Roger Goodell needs to stand up and say something about this,” Buzinski said. “He has never uttered a word about having gay players in the N.F.L.