NFL releases inclusive statement, says ‘football is gay’ causing homophobes to have a meltdown – MEAWW

The world of football has always been a space for high testosterone dude-bros chest-thumping in support of the team they support. The seemingly hyper-masculine world was not LGBTQ friendly which forced players to live in the closet till they retired. This is what the first high-profile football player Wade Davis did when he came out in 2012. In 2014, Michael Sam came out and became the first active gay NFL player. The world of football has made improvements in leaps and bounds since then. When Carl Nassib of the Las Vegas Raiders, came out on Instagram last week, he received a warm welcome from his coach as well as teammates.

Not only that, Nassib’s coming out prompted NFL to release a commercial with an inclusive message for the LGBTQ+ community. The commercial starts with the phrase: “Football is gay.” The word “gay” is then replaced with other adjectives including “Football is lesbian,” “Football is beautiful,” “Football is transgender,” “Football is queer,” and “Football is for everyone.” The ad was shared on Twitter along with the message: If you love this game, you are welcome here. Football is for all. Football is for everyone. The NFL stands by the LGBTQ+ community today and every day.

The NFL also shared a link to The Trevor Project, the national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services among LGBTQ+ youth. The ad also concluded with the statement: “LGBTQ+ youth with at least one accepting adult has 40% lower risk of attempting suicide.” The 28-year-old football player also made a generous donation to the organization. In his coming out video, that he posted on Instagram he said, “I just think that representation and visibility are so important,” and added, “I’m going to do my best and do my part to cultivate a culture that’s accepting, that’s compassionate and I’m going to start by donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project.”

While this received a lot of warm reception from football fans, there were also homophobic fans who expressed their disapproval. Many even declared that they would never watch football again because of the inclusive message NFL put out. One user wrote: I’ll be watching non-politicized College ball and reruns of old pro games this season when it was an American sport – entertainment and not a paid activist organization. Many people were also quick to point out how the NFL was for everyone except Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback who took a knee during the national anthem to take a stand against police brutality and racial injustice in 2016.

NFL league commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement, according to DEADLINE: “The NFL family is proud of Carl courageously sharing his truth today. Representation matters. We share his hope that someday soon statements like his will no longer be newsworthy as we march toward full equality for the LGBTQ+ community. We wish Carl the best of luck this coming season.”  It was also noted by people that the NFL’s Pride makeover was long overdue and the ad is likely smart business during Pride Month. The same way most businesses do.

“Every time an athlete comes out, it sends a really powerful message,” Joanna Hoffman, the communications director at Athlete Ally, an LGBTQ athlete advocacy group said, according to ABC News. “Not just to other athletes who are closeted but to these leagues as a whole — that they have work to do to make sure that they are investing in a culture that makes it so that more athletes can come out.”

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