Rose quickly took to Twitter to give the middle finger to everyone who might have not liked his racial and homophobic comments:

Notice the all-caps YOU – making it crystal clear he’s not apologizing to anyone else. He gave a half-hearted “apology” on air after he got caught in a whirlwind of reaction, but he laughed it off.

Of course, ESPN has deleted that portion of the interview so we cannot hear it (listen for the edit three seconds in).

While the comment may seem innocuous, Rose made it clear he doesn’t want two men touching one another with their bodies. Where do you think that comes from? He’s perfectly fine with men being naked, showering together. But once they touch? All bets are off. As we saw with ESPN’s Rob Parker earlier this week, his comments reflect the root of homophobia.

Rose knows a thing or two about losing championship games. He lost in the NCAA championship game two years in a row with Michigan; And he lost in the NBA Finals with the Indiana Pacers in 2000. He was also suspended by ESPN last year for a DUI arrest.

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Back then [when Esera Tuaolo came out] one-time teammate Sterling Sharpe, in reaction to Tuaolo’s news, said an openly gay player wouldn’t make it to his next game. Today, Section 1 of the NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement reads: “No Discrimination: There will be no discrimination in any form against any player by the Management Council, any Club or by the NFLPA [NFL Players Association] because of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or activity or lack of activity on behalf of the NFLPA.”

Various teams have taken strides as well, as we previously pointed out with the Giants and Patriots.

Still, I wonder what opportunities were lost when Paul Tagliabue stepped down as NFL commissioner in 2006. Tagliabue introduced gay sensitivity training to rookie symposiums. His son, Andrew, is gay and works for PFLAG; I just wonder how much more would have been done, and how much more willing to talk about the issues the NFL may be, if Goodell hadn’t come into the picture.

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“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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The 62-year-old businessman and film producer allowed his children to paint his nails as a joke five weeks ago, and was too superstitious to remove the polish as the Giants began to power their way through the playoffs.

“If this is how it is going to work out then maybe I should wear it all the time,” Tisch joked. “I was going to get rid of it but my daughters thought it was funny and then we just kept winning.

If only Robert Kraft had done the same…

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A commercial for the “reinvented” Toyota Camry reinvented Super Bowl advertising with what may be the first gay-friendly moment in a game spot. One character, an awkward guy, seems as accepting of finding seven hunks in his living room as he is of finding seven babes.

It also can be seen as the first bisexual-friendly Super Bowl ad.

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Gronkowski, who played with a high ankle sprain, danced at the Patriots postgame party, along with a shirtless Matt Light. Gronk has a rocking body, as does the guy on the right who danced shirtless on stage with him (it might be his brother Gordie):

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GLAAD jumped on him immediately, demanding that CNN fire Martin for his tweet and Facebook post that made a crack about a New England Patriot wearing pink.

I’d be curious what went through Martin’s head in the seconds after he posted that Tweet, because he quickly covered his tracks moments later:

He knew he had to cover his tracks, but we don’t know whether it was because he initially meant it as homophobic, or because he realized he inadvertently could be seen as homophobic.

This morning he explained his tweet (though did not apologize); Condensed and re-ordered for ease of reading:

Fam, let me address the issue that some in the LGBT community have raised regarding some of my Super Bowl tweets yesterday. I made several cracks about soccer as I do all the time. I was not referring to sexuality directly or indirectly regarding the David Beckham ad, and I’m sorry folks took it otherwise. It was meant to be a deliberately over the top and sarcastic crack about soccer; I do not advocate violence of any kind against anyone gay, or not. As anyone who follows me on Twitter knows, anytime soccer comes up during football season it’s another chance for me to take a playful shot at soccer, nothing more

Was Martin’s tweet homophobic? Was he truly dissing on soccer fans? Only one man knows.

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“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 can understand Mrs. Brady being pissed and there were some big drops, but this has not gone over well. It’s not like her husband was blameless. He gave the Giants two points when he panicked and threw the ball away in the end zone, giving the Giants a safety. He also threw an ill-advised long pass that was intercepted in the fourth quarter and finished the game 7 for 18. Brady failed to lead his team to any points in the game’s final 25 minutes.

The most critical drop was that of Wes Welker, a play that turned the game. But even then, Brady’s pass was somewhat off, turning an easy catch into one more difficult (though one Welker should have made). I know Brady will not be criticizing his teammates since he knows they have bailed him out many times in the past and this stuff evens out; plus, he’s a great teammate. His wife should have just kept her thoughts to herself.

This is how this is being seen in Boston, as evidenced by this comment:

3 Super Bowl wins pre-Gisele.
0 Super Bowl wins (2 SB losses) with Gisele.
Already had one “Yoko” comment to me on twitter.

Yoko? That’s awesome.

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How I saw Super Bowl XLVI, including my hot players of the game:

They did it again. The Giants are the Patriots’  Kryptonite, their daddy, their master, their tops, choose your word. For the second time in five seasons, the Giants have beaten the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Sunday it was 21-17 on a last-minute touchdown drive. In the 2007 season it was 17-14 on a last-minute touchdown drive. Once again, it was a game either team could have won and the Giants made a couple of more plays that made the difference.

This was not a great Super Bowl, though the last-play Hail Mary by New England was dramatic.  I watched at a party of about 75 (an awesome affair hosted by Cyd and his partner Dan) and there were very few moments where people got loud and really no play that had people leaping from their seats. It had an exciting fourth quarter and ending, but it was not overall very memorable. It kind of summed up the 2011 season, which was kind of flat despite some thrilling moments.

–The highlight of the game, obviously, was Mario Manningham’s 38-yard catch along the sideline on a pass from Eli Manning on the game-winning drive. It was a terrific catch but Manning’s throw was even better, placing it right between the cornerback and safety. It was the game’s longest play and caused Pats coach Bill Belichick to burn a timeout on an unsuccessful challenge. He had to challenge since the play was so close, but losing a timeout really hurt at the end.

–Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was good, but not great and he was anything but clutch down the stretch. He completed a Super Bowl record 16 straight passes and gave the Pats a 17-9 lead with 11 minutes to go in the third quarter. Then he seemed to lose it, going 7 for 18 the rest of the way, with an interception and getting no points. The Giants’ rush seemed to pressure him and he just looked off.

–Brady is now 2-4 in his last six playoff games. It’s a weird stat since he’s a better QB now than he was back in 2001-2004 when he won three Super Bowls. Just goes to show that football is a team game, despite what many in the media think.

–No, Eli is not better than Peyton or Brady. He’s just not. He is clearly an elite QB and  the best fourth-quarter player in his position right now, but before this season he had gone three seasons with zero playoff wins, missing the postseason the previous two seasons. He needs to be consistent every year. And this season, his team went 9-7 (the worst record ever for a Super Bowl winner) and simply got hot when it counted. One more Cowboys first down in Week 14 and the Giants don’t even make the playoffs. He deserves all the credit for winning two Super Bowls, but stop the nonsense about him being better than his brother or Brady, two guys who have done it at a higher level longer.

–Wes Welker is being fitted with goat horns after his drop at the Giants’ 20 with four minutes left on a drive where the Patriots wound up punting. It was the key play in the game from a Pats standpoint, since they almost certainly win if he hangs on. He beat himself up after the game pretty bad, with tears in his eyes, saying he should have caught the ball. Probably so, but it also was a tough catch since Brady did not make a good throw even though Welker was wide open. How ironic that Mr. Dependable Welker (122 regular season catches) dropped the one he had to have the most.

–So much for anyone hoping Rob Gronkowski would be a factor with a high ankle sprain. In the past three seasons, we have had four key players (three in Super Bowls) with that injury and none were effective.

–So much for all the theorizing that the game was set up perfectly for the Patriots since the Giants shot their mouths off all week and most people were picking them. Sometimes, talk is backed up and the consensus is correct. I forecast a close Giants win based on them matching up better. I went 9-2 picking the playoffs this season, not a bad ever.

–Madonna’s halftime show certainly was a spectacle, though I did somehow miss M.I.A. popping the finger and apparently say “f***. At my party, the game had 60% of the attendees watching. The halftime show had a 100% viewing rate. That’s when you know you’re at a gay Super Bowl party.

–Hot players of the game: Madonna’s dancers, especially the guys who escorted her in (right). She did (somewhat) bring the gay to the Super Bowl. Our friend Sam, a gay high school swimmer, posted this on Facebook: “Why was there a football game during a Madonna concert?”

–For all of you that read my recaps each week, thanks so much and see you next season. For a Colts fan, I’ll forget 2011 pretty quickly.

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12:40pmPT: Rosie O’Donnell has finally tweeted about meeting Tim Tebow:

And apparently she tried to set up the Broncos back-up starting back-up starting quarterback with Jenny McCarthy:

11:21amPT: NBC Sports says the rumor is not true, and that Tebow talked to Rosie for about 30 seconds. We’ve heard from at least one person who heard the interview. So strange that Francesa would claim otherwise.

11:03amPT: Here’s a photo putting Rosie and Tebow within a few feet of each other. Not sure what that means for the bigger story.

10:37amPT: There’s a story coming out of Indianapolis today that Tim Tebow has refused to do an interview with Rosie O’Donnell “because of her lifestyle.” We’ve heard two reports that WFAN’s Mike Francesa reported on the snub and the reason for it just moments ago. Rosie O’Donnell did tweet an hour ago that she was “At the superbowl press thingy.” She is currently tweeting pics from the event, but no word on the Tebow snub.

If you have more information, please post it below. Story developing…

Hat tip to Charley, Robert and other Tweeters.

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