This year the National Football League had a chance to break the gay barrier by drafting the first openly gay player in the NFL draft on Saturday but that didn’t happen. Alan Gendreau former Middle Tennessee State placekicker who is openly gay was not one of the two kickers chosen. So the NFL remains in the closet. You have to speculate how many professional athletes in the NFL are gay but remain closeted. However it’s just a matter of time when our “Jackie Robinson” will be brave enough to be the first professional athlete in major league sports to come out. Gendreau was a star kicker on the Middle Tennessee State football team. His teammates on the Blue Raiders knew he was gay but it wasn’t an issue. He was just another guy in the locker room who made jokes & played football. Former teammate Josh Davis told OutSports "Everyone just saw him as a football player. He was just one of the guys. The fact that he proved himself on the field, there was a respect for him. He's a good guy. He's a lot of fun to be around. With all the coaches & players, he had a good relationship." Well there’s always next year. That'll be Gendreau’s next chance to crack an NFL roster. Or maybe some national player will finally come out & become a role model for our LGBT youth. Updates to Come…:)
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The NFL could not have drafted Gendreau, as he was not eligible for the draft. Players may only declare for the draft once (barring a unique circumstance, like the one surrounding Bo Jackson), and he did so in 2012. Had a team called out his name, they would not have acquired his draft rights because he was not in the eligible player pool.
ReplyDeleteA team that wants him merely has to sign him, and could have done so before, during or after the draft. Most kickers make the NFL through this route. He has been a free agent for a year now and can sign with whichever teams wish to have him.
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ReplyDeleteI actually won my Emmy Award on "NFL Today" with CBS Sports...but I never was into rules...I just wish more Pro players would COME OUT!! :)
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