Two men really wanted a date with American footballer, Michael Strahan. The giant Giants player auctioned himself off at Buddha Bar's first anniversary party. A number of women threw money at his hot body, but the male couple came out the winners, according to Page Six:

Giants defensive end Michael Strahan put himself on the charity auction block the other night at Buddha Bar's first anniversary. He hoped to get a date with a lady, but the male sports fans in the crowd weren't having it. Two guys outbid 13 gals, leaving Strahan to agree to take both men to dinner for the price of $10,000 each. The dough will go to the Institute for Civic Leadership, a nonprofit educational organization.

• Your local gay-straight alliance was watched a bit more closely by the Department of Defense than they previously let on to. [Advocate]

• The NFL opened its rookie training symposium with an openly gay speaker (a NFL vice president, no less) at its diversity training seminar. In the program's 10-year history, this is a first. [Out Sports]

• Remember today's item about the New York Giants' Michael Strahan not surrounding himself with hot chicks to fight rumors he's gay? Turns out someone from his camp was owed a favor — and now Page Six is running an item about Strahan's heterosexual antics. [Page Six]

• Logo hits iTunes, in case you want to download any of their mediocre programming to watch on the subway. [Logo Blog

New York Giants' defensive end Michael Strahan isn't going to great lengths to defend against rumors of his being gay, despite his ex-wife's claims. The trouble began last March when Strahan filed for divorce from his wife Jean, who then proceeded to file a domestic violence complaint against him (which was quickly dismissed). Fast forward to last week to divorce court when Jean claimed Michael lived an "alternative lifestyle." But, as the New York Daily News' Michael O'Keeffe notes, Strahan didn't take the typical route of a professional athlete denying he's gay (read: He's not Mike Piazza, who held a press conference to announce his heterosexuality).

The New York Giants' defensive end didn't hold a hastily organized press conference to loudly proclaim his love for the ladies. He didn't head to a trendy nightclub and pose for the paparazzi with the finest-looking women he could find.

Instead, Strahan went to a gym in the West Village, the birthplace of the gay rights movement. He went to dinner at a Meatpacking District hotspot with Ian Smith, the TV doctor Jean Strahan had suggested was his lover (Smith, who is married, says he is not gay). He told a New York radio station that he had many friends who were gay or bisexual and that he was cool with that.

"This is New York City," Strahan said during a brief phone call to the station. "If you can't accept people for being people, then you have no business being here."

Cue the requisite debate over whether professional sports are becoming more tolerant toward gays in their midst. Is one professional athlete – who still holds the small possibility of not even begin gay – having a more rational reaction to homosexuality going to change the industry? Certainly not. But a move like this could certainly be Giant.

Strahan's handling of `gay' tag a breath of fresh air [NYDN]

Football star Michael Strahan (pictured at left) has once again been painted as a big homo by his bitter ex-wife, who continues to spread rumors that he is bagging TV Doctor Ian Smith (pictured at right). And now the two handsome young men have gotten serious about denying the rumors: They've contacted the New York Post!

Dr. Smith, who apparently has yet to find the cure for his particular variety of gayface, was happy that the following statement appeared in print so he could giggle to himself while saying, "Michael Strahan is very heterosexual, and I am very heterosexual."

HINT JINT HIT 'SACK' WITH DOC PAL [NY Post via Rod 2.0]