BAD SPORT

San Francisco 49er Chris Culliver Sorry He Told Gay Players To Get Out Of The NFL

Just when we got through saying how nice and inclusive this year’s Super Bowl was going to be, 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver had to mess it up with his big, fat mouth.

On Tuesday’s edition of the Artie Lange Show, Lange asked Culliver, 24, if there were any gay players on his team.

Culliver responded:

“I don’t do the gay guys man. I don’t do that. No, we don’t got no gay people on the team. They gotta get up out of here if they do. Can’t be with that sweet stuff. Nah, can’t be in the locker room man.”

Well it’s nice to know Culliver doesn’t “do” the gay guys. We don’t “do” homophobic meatheads.

HRC communications director Fred Sainz called Culliver’s comments “reprehensible”: “Culliver should recognize how far most of his fellow athletes have come on this issue and apologize immediately.”

On Wednesday, the 49ers management released a statement saying it had addressed Culliver about the incident. “There is no place for discrimination within our organization at any level. We have and always will proudly support the LGBT community.”

Culliver released an apology this evening:
“The derogatory comments I made yesterday were a reflection of thoughts in my head, but they are not how I feel.

It has taken me seeing them in print to realize that they are hurtful and ugly. Those discriminating feelings are truly not in my heart. Further, I apologize to those who I have hurt and offended, and I pledge to learn and grow from this experience.

Meh, whatever. Meanwhile, we take solace in the fact that in just a few short years Culliver’s words have gone from commonplace to unacceptable.

And that real role models like Brendon Ayanbadejo—and the 49ers who recorded the NFL’s first It Gets Better’ video—are out on the field.

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