The NFL has never had an openly gay player. While former players have shared their sexual orientation after hanging up the cleats, the NFL locker room doesn't historically make the list of welcome havens for gay athletes.
Perceptions might be changing on that front.
Outsports.com interviewed a dozen rookies and former stars from a variety of teams at last week's NFLPA Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles.
Kinkhabwala: RG3 needs a noogie
RG3 says all the right things, but Aditi Kinkhabwala thinks the QB needs some tough love to balance out all the adulation. **More ...**
Their support for gay athletes was unanimous, according to the website.
Former defensive end Jevon Kearse said he would have welcomed a gay teammate during his days with the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles.
"In the game of football, it's like a war out there," Kearse told the site. "Once you get out on the field, all that stuff is to the side. You're on my side. I played in the NFL for 11 years, I'm sure there were at least one or two guys along the line that were gay."
Rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III said he would have no issues with a gay athlete on the Washington Redskins. He reflected on a high school teammates who left football after telling his friends he was gay.
"When he came out, he stopped playing," Griffin told the site. "He might have stopped playing because of the negative feedback he might have gotten from being that on the football team. So, I think that's probably why he ended up quitting."
RG3 continued: "Just because (a player is) gay doesn't mean they're hitting on you."
