A discussion arose earlier this year about one of the last barriers to break in professional sports after NBA player Jason Collins came out: accepting and signing an openly gay player. However, for an unnamed athlete, the NFL has yet to deliver on breaking said barrier.
According to Bleacher Report writer Mike Freeman
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“The league office backs the idea of an openly gay player, but one high-ranking league official believes the NFL isn’t yet ready for one. League executives think football is three to five years away from accepting such a player, according to an NFL source. The league plans to carefully and deliberately make the atmosphere more tolerant and comfortable in the meantime, setting the stage for when that happens.”
The organization continues to disagree about the best course of action. Some officials believe that the sport has become progressive enough to allow for an openly gay player while others witness homophobic comments from players and urge teams to hold off until a future time.
To read more about this debate click here.