Same-sex couples in Minnesota may have won the right to legally wed, but not everyone is sharing the excitement. For the first time since the Minnesota Vikings allegedly ejected vocal LGBT activist Chris Kluwe for his “controversial” views, a former teammate is speaking out about gays in sports.
In an interview with Sirius/XM NFL satellite radio last Thursday, show hosts Bruce Murray and Amani Toomer asked Vikings running back Adrian Peterson what he thinks about homosexuals in major league sports.
“To each his own,” Peterson said. “I’m not with it, but I have relatives that, you know, are gay. I’m not biased towards them. I still treat them the same. I love them. But again, I’m not with that. That’s not something that I believe in. But to each his own.”
“I’m sure the Vikings’ organization did not release him based on that,” he continued, weighing in on whether or not he thinks Kluwe was cut for his views on gay marriage. “They know Kluwe. They’ve been knowing him for a long time. They know he’s outspoken.”
It’s always interesting to hear a black football player condemn equality issues he doesn’t “believe in.” Up until 1969, the NFL was segregated because a few key people didn’t “believe in” equal opportunity for all players regardless of color. And it’s all thanks to the tireless efforts of activists before him that Peterson is even a member of the Minnesota Vikings and able to comment on a national radio news broadcast.
See how that works, Peterson?
yaoming
” I’m not with that. That’s not something that I believe in.”
What is that supposed to mean? He doesn’t “believe in” homosexuality? There are gays – we do exist, and we’re in pro sports… always have been, always will be, so how ignorant does that sound coming out of your mouth?
One thing that is true is that pro sports weren’t always racially integrated, so just be glad the people who don’t “believe in” integration don’t outnumber the people who do.
Rock Star
There will always be those that choose through ignorance to deny another persons full equal rights based on prejudice alone. Remember the word prejudice means hating something without a rational reason.
arj
” I’m not with that. That’s not something that I believe in.”
Whatever. Who cares what you believe. You are only a hired hand to carry a football. In the vast course of life, your “vocation” and “opinion” do not carry any influence over the quality of life. You can go back under your rock now.
Cagnazzo82
@yaoming: Regardless of what you tell them, there are peopel who will never be able to wrap their minds around the fact that homosexuality isn’t a choice you make one day when you wake up.
It just never sinks in.
You would assume these people also believe everyone’s bisexual, but even that logical fallacy doesn’t make it through.
They truly and honestly believe everyone is straight, and some people just choose to be gay to be hip. Or whatever the hell term they’re using for ‘trendy’.
JAW
Did I miss something… or did queerty completely post a false headline??
I clicked on the link that was in the article… The original article leads me to believe that he does not believe in Same sex marriage… For that he said… To Each His Own… Nowhere in the original do they talk about Gays in sports…
Perhaps queerty has the original tape or a transcript of the Sirius/XM interview where he said that he did not believe in Gays in sports
balehead
Where can people email him to say….”There was a time when”……
Sweet Boy
Whether he believes in homosexuality or not is totally irrelevant…gays and lesbian have equal rights in MN whether he likes it or not, it the law.
Go suck a lemon…or something else, Mr. Peterson
ancientaliens
@JAW: You didn’t miss anything. This is completely manufactured on what AP said. He didn’t say anything about gays in sports, he said he didn’t believe or agree with gay marriage, which as an American, is his right. Check ESPN for the correct story.
As a gay sports fan, it’s kind of sick to see this kind of twisted media that you should only expect from the right wing teabaggers. Get a fact checker.
As for the punter Chris Kluwe, he was released because his contract was up, which was more than the Vikings were willing to pay for an average to below-average punter who’s not getting any younger. Why does everything have to be a conspiracy?
Windsor519
I don’t approve of black male pro athletes going out and impregnating anything female with blonde hair, pale skin, and a pulse, but there’s not much I can do about it. These girls are stupid enough to let it happen and the black male is a natural born sexual predator as far as white women and girls are concerned. But nobody wants to talk about that. They want to get into the queer and dyke talk instead.
Lets leave out how these men have never paid one cent of child support, are the most notorious spousal abusers on the planet, have so many women pregnant at any given time it’s even baffled science how they’ve managed to succeed at it, and are out the door faster than any layup or touchdown when the white girl they’re screwing announces she’s pregnant.
Let this guy learn how to spell his name and recite the alphabet and we can talk.
Homophile
@Windsor519:
This is a failed attempt at satire right?
jasentylar
This sickens me. I am a gay man. I have been out for about ten years now. I hate to see what we are coming to as a society. Queerty COMPLETELY misled with the headline. What AP said was that he didnt agree wtih gay marriage. AND that is his right! Remember those people?! I don’t agree with gay marriage either. Why is it that these days anybody that proposes a point of view that may not be popular are called bigots? Just because someone doesn’t agree with you does not make them ignorant. Its like we’re going backwards here. WAKE UP PEOPLE!
Caleb in SC
Let’s see how this sounds:
“To each his own,” Mr. Smith said. “I’m not with it, but I have relatives that, you know, are black. I’m not biased towards them. I still treat them the same. I love them. But again, I’m not with that. That’s not something that I believe in. But to each his own.”
Sounds a lot different, doesn’t it?
pathotrix
@Windsor519: You are absolutely disgusting.
balehead
He says Chris Klowe was not let go for his beliefs….perhaps they did so they wouldn’t make this bigot uncomfortable with his own beliefs?….
Deepdow
@jasentylar:
Thing is though, just because you don’t believe in gay marriage, whatever that means, does not give you the right to deny gay people the opportunity to marry. Do you understand me?
Kangol
First, the author writes: “Up until 1969, the NFL was segregated because a few key people didn’t “believe in” equal opportunity for all players regardless of color.”
This is completely wrong. The NFL had black players in the 1960s. Gale Sayers, Jim Brown, hello? In fact, American professional football had black players as far back as the 1920s! What league are you talking about? Baseball was integrated in 1947, the NBA and ABA were both integrated by 1969, even pro hockey was integrated by then, so…where did this misinformation come from?
Second, Peterson clearly says “To each his own,” i.e., live and let live. He is against same-sex marriage. I disagree with him, and many of his teammates do as well, but he says nothing about hating gay people or trying to push for laws to prevent it. Queerty is going out of its way to distort what he says.
Third, a far more powerful, homophobic figure, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, one of the largest Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States, and one of the leading US Catholic prelates, called this weekend for an attack on same-sex marriage to prevent it from becoming national law. He has gone after LGBTQ people repeatedly, while also protecting pedophile priests.
Why isn’t Queerty highlighting what a pro football player with zero power has to say, while not commenting about the homophobic, actionable speech of a far more powerful (white) religious figure?
Tackle
Queerty this is BS that you would auto-flagged my comment and allow #9 Windsor519 to be posted, which is very offensive. Did I get flagged because I called out your writer on straight out lie and the fact that he had to bring race into it??
that_dude247
Wow! Just an outright lie by this writer. What is this?
jasentylar
@Deepdow: I’m not making any claims to any laws to prevent anyone from marrying anybody. I do have an opinion though and I have a right to it. AP was simply doing that: stating his opinion. I support everyone’s right to voice their opinion….ESPECIALLY when it opposes mine.