“She just needs to continue to stay cute and shut up.”

After the Patriots lost to the Giants in the Super Bowl, in part because of dropped passes by their receivers, Bundchen was caught on tape saying:

“You (have) to catch the ball when you’re supposed to catch the ball. My husband cannot (bleeping) throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time. I can’t believe they dropped the ball so many times.”

I was critical of her comments simply because that kind of public discord is not helpful to any team and was something her husband would never say about a teammate. But Jacobs’ “stay cute” comment is the definition of sexist and uncalled for. I am surprised he didn’t tell her to get back in the kitchen. Giants defensive lineman Osi Umenyiora took a different tack:

“I mean, that is her husband. She is supposed to stay out of things like that, but at the end of the day that is their relationship and she has the right to say whatever she wants to.”

Bundchen is apparently Public Enemy No. 1 in Boston, with people calling her “Yoko” and noting that the Pats have not won a Super Bowl since she hooked up with Brady. I get that players’ spouses will be lightning rods (see the wives of Kurt Warner and Albert Pujols), but Jacobs’ “stay cute” comment likely won Bundchen some female fans who have put up with that kind of crap their whole lives.

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Morrison’s tweet, which has since been deleted, read: “crack head ? Go suck out u little faggot your a guy that talks if u see me you try slap me I’m in manchester every week.”

Alan Duffy of the Justin Campaign, which fights homophobia in soccer, condemned Morrison’s tweet:

“It’s extremely disappointing to hear that yet another professional footballer in England has used homophobic language,” Mr Duffy told Goal.com

“Ravel Morrison may well not be aware of the damage those kind of remarks can do, but when football stars indulge in that kind of language, it only reinforces the view that football is not a welcoming place of LGBT fans or players.”

Morrison, 19, has been in trouble before. Goal.com says he has also faced allegations of  witness intimidation and an altercation with his girlfriend. I guess a homophobic tweet is par for the course.

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Maybe this is old news to you poor saps who watch Kardashian-related programming on a regular basis, but my overall impression of Hump is that he’s a clueless, homophobic d-bag—moreso than your average pro athlete. It’s a miracle anyone bought into their sham marriage in the first place.

Someone on YouTube compiled a montage of the lowlights of the show. Either Humphries is interested in the publicist or is trying to deflect a tabloid’s rumor that he himself is gay.

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Bryant and Noah apologized and were fined. Simmonds denies saying it and the NHL let him off with no punishment. Video:

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Bayless, left, and Aikman

Troy Aikman is still mad that sportswriter Skip Bayless speculated 16 years ago in a book that the then Dallas Cowboys quarterback might be gay. So mad that he said he might get physical if he saw Bayless. And, by the way, Aikman said Bayless himself might be gay.

Aikman made his remarks on Dallas radio station The Ticket (1310 AM), as reported by the Dallas Morning News:

“When a guy like that comes out and, whether it’s intimated or stated, and there’s no substance to that claim, and he’s doing it purely to gain interest in a book, that’s a problem,” [Aikman] said.

Aikman then added:

“I will tell you this. I’ve not seen — I’ve not physically seen Skip Bayless since that time. That was in ’95. And I still kind of wonder what I might do to him when I do see him.”

Dan McDowell, the co-host of BaD Radio, pressed him on the point.

“You certainly will say something,” McDowell said.

“Oh, yeah. Yeah,” Aikman replied.

“But you don’t think it will get physical, do you?” McDowell said.

“Well, I mean, I don’t know. I don’t know,” Aikman said.

Aikman also tossed in this: “I’m not so sure Skip’s not gay.” Snap!

Aikman should just STF up about this. These rumors have been around for 20 years and Bayless is not the only one who has mentioned them. Prof. Eric Anderson, who has researched gay athletes for years, told Cyd and I that the question he got most from students when he taught a class in Southern California in the 1990s was “Is Troy Aikman gay?”

Bayless’ book was written 16 years ago and there is not one shred of evidence that these rumors hurt Aikman’s career in the slightest. He won three Super Bowls, was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and has been the lead NFL analyst on Fox for years.

So why is Aikman (who is divorced and has children) still bothered by this? It sounds like a classic case of someone protesting too much. It’s also offensive — to Aikman, being said to be gay is something so heinous that he would hold a grudge for 16 years and threaten to physically attack the person saying it. That’s sad and says a lot more about Aikman than it does about Bayless.

Hat tip to Pro Football Talk.

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Owens, left, and Garcia in happier times

Part of Outsports’ series on our 100 most important moments in gay sports history.

Pro football, 2004: Terrell Owens and Jeff Garcia were once teammates for the San Francisco 49ers. When Owens left for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004, he did an interview with Playboy and was asked if Garcia was gay. Owens’ comments caused a media firestorm:

“Like my boy tells me: If it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, by golly, it is a rat.”

Garcia had denied that he was gay months before (he would later marry Playboy Playmate Carmella DeCesare and have a child to prove it) and Owens tried to backpedal, though he never did explain how else his “rat” comment could be interpreted.

I wrote this at the time:

Terrell Owens implies that Jeff Garcia is gay. Garcia denies it and mentions that he has had girlfriends. The mainstream media is excited. I yawn.

I confess that the Owens-Garcia lover’s quarrel, as one friend jokingly dubbed it, leaves me underwhelmed. I don’t think Owens’ comments, while classless and ignorant, were all that heinous. And Garcia’s response is annoying.

Yet the dustup between the two former teammates has provided grist for a media mill lacking in much else to write about in the dog days of summer. A Google News search turns up 150 media sources that have run with the story, and ESPN devoted a segment to the issue, spinning it into a larger “homosexuals in the NFL angle.”

It is hard to say whether this is a great gay sports moment given the absurdity of the two participants and the fact that both claim to be straight, but it did get people talking about the issue, which is never a bad thing.

For more information:

• Terrell Owens says Jeff Garcia is gay
• Jeff Garcia: “I’m not gay”

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I was pleased to see that MLB teams began to create their own “It Gets Better” videos to help combat bullying. The San Francisco Giants were the first to complete theirs, followed by the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox. In addition, the Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins have announced plans to make videos as well. (A report that the Washington Nationals have also committed to a video still has not been confirmed by the team.)

Since the Giants released their video on June 1st, I’ve been wondering if and when my team, the Philadelphia Phillies, would join the “It Gets Better” movement. Seeing as how Gay Community Night is such a success year after year, a “Phillies: It Gets Better” video seemed like a logical occurrence. But there was no word. I’ve tweeted about it a few times, with a couple of those directly replying to the Phillies’ official Twitter feeds. (For some reason they use two, @phillies and @philaphillies.) Still, no announcement was forthcoming.In early June, as teams began filming videos, a lifelong Phillies fan, Jerome Hunt, created a petition on Change.org asking the Phils to make a video of their own. He contacted local news outlets to publicize it and got no response…until Jackson, the Eagles’ wide receiver, opened his mouth on the radio.

Then Change.org used the Jackson story in a mass email to spread the word about Hunt’s petition, and Philadelphia Weekly featured Hunt on their blog. And, I assume, the PW writer contacted the Phillies for a response, and my guess is that’s what finally led to the announcement that the Phils will also make a video. The video is expected to be released around the time schools re-open.

So, while we wait for the NFL lockout to finally, officially end so that the league and the Eagles will be allowed to discipline DeSean Jackson if they so choose, I think we should give him some thanks for inadvertently helping spur the Phillies into their “It Gets Better” action.

You can find Joe In Philly at his blog.

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I also need to make clear that the comment about Roger Goodell was not intended to be derogatory against gay people in any way. It was careless use of a slang word and I apologize to all who were offended by the remark. I am not a homophobic bigot, and I would never advocate intolerance of gay people.

Harrison is in hot water for an interview he gave to “Men’s Journal,” where he not only ripped Goodell, but also teammates Ben Roethlisberger and Rashard Mendenhall. Since his remarks became public, he has tried to backtrack, saying he was misquoted and taken out of context. On Thursday, he issued an apology (complete text here).

I am not sure what a “careful” use of the “slang” word faggot would be in Harrison’s world and his apology rings hollow. This is par for the course, but it continues to show that homophobia in sports is no longer considered cool and anyone using slurs will be called on it, even a guy who poses shirtless with two guns.

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Somebody needs to do something about this guy. He creates a deeply unsafe work environment both physically and mentally. I feel sorry for his teammates.

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“In a recent radio interview a caller got really confrontational with me,” Jackson said through a spokesman. “I got very heated with the caller, took it a bit too far and did not mean to offend anybody. I meant no disrespect and a better choice of words was needed.”

Jackson later took to Twitter to post this:

“I am sorry for using words that I know to be hurtful and unacceptable in a recent radio interview.” he wrote. “Intolerance is unacceptable and I apologize to anyone I have offended. … I have made a mistake and would like to make it clear that words I used meant no disrespect to the Gay and Lesbian community.”

His tweets are in contrast to the defiant ones he posted in all caps right after using the slur, where he said he was “standing tall” against the people “tryin knocc me off.” It’s obvious somebody got to Jackson and told him what an idiot he was sounding like.

Back in February, I praised Jackson for standing with a Philadelphia teen who was bullied, but his “faggot” comment undid any good from that. It was an unscripted moment that showed an ugly side of Jackson. The fact that he initially defended himself shows that he did not think he said anything wrong. Like to see him explain that to a gay kid who has been bullied and called the same or worse.

Under normal circumstances, one would expect Jackson to be fined by either the Eagles or the NFL. But the league has locked the players out, and it is unclear whether any action can be taken against a player for something that transpired during the lockout.

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