I know this, the first person that does it is going to be a hero. I know that. They may go through a lot of ridicule, they may go through a lot of different things, but this is one sport where you have not had a guy just outright while they were playing say look, this is what I am. I bet you he would turn out to be a national hero, if you ask me.

He said any football player who thinks he hasn’t already played with a gay teammates has his head in the sand, and he thinks that will help the first gay player be accepted:

If you’e a player that has played football for a long time, if you’ve played in high school, if you’ve played in college, and if you’ve played in the league, you gotta be clear that there’s a  strong possibility that one of your teammates is homosexual. I don’t think that that’s something guys should e naïve about. It’s kind of that unspoken word type deal or you don’t ask I won’t tell type of deal. But I think it could go over a little bit better than what we would think, just based upon thje fact that it would almost be like addressing the elephant in the room.

Arrington thinks the support will depend in part on how respected the player is. That is partly how good he is on the football field and how well-liked and well-known he is in the locker room.

Based upon possibly who the guy is, there would be an overwhelming amount of support. Based on who it is. Like if it was a guy who was super ridiculously respectable, I think that guys would support him. I think if he was a no-name guy, I don’t know how that would go across. I think just because it’s a lack of knowledge of the person.

He specifically called out stars on the Green Bay Packers as able to come out and receive full support: Greg Jennings, Aaron Rodgers, Charles Woodson and Clay Matthews.

If any of those guys came out and said, you know what, I’m gay, I think everybody would support him. Now if it was Joe Schmo Mister Irrelevant that’s on the team, and he comes out and says he’s gay, I think he becomes an instant megastar…but I don’t know how players would feel about it because it’s almost kind of like disrespectful in a way.

They spent a good hour discussing the issue, and you can listen to it here.

PHOTO: LaVar Arrington #56 of the Washington Redskins looks on from the sidelines during the game against the Denver Broncos during game at Invesco Field at Mile High on October 9, 2005 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos won 21-19. (Photo by: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

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Robert Griffin III talked about a former gay teammate

Rookies Robert Griffin III, Trent Richardson, Coby Fleener and others join retired veterans Jevon Kearse, Ahman Green and Eddie George in supporting gay football players

Football players have long been cast as some of the most homophobic men in our culture. Sports, and in particular the NFL, is branded as the last closet because of that perception. Looking in from the outside, the evidence seems to be prevalent. We’ve never had an openly gay player in the NFL, and only a handful of former players have come out after they retired. Various football players over the last decade have shared anti-gay thoughts in the media. Even allies in the sport have said an athlete would have a very hard time coming out in the NFL because of the environment.

Yet when Outsports attended the NFLPA Rookie Premiere events in Los Angeles last week, we were met with a gay-positive attitude from every player we talked to; And some warmly welcomed us with open arms. A dozen different men from various teams, both rookies and recently retired, each expressed support for gay athletes. Many shared personal experiences involving gay friends, family members, and even a gay former teammate. These aren’t third-stringers we talked to. These men are NFL stats leaders, national champions and high draft picks. They are the past, present and future leaders of the NFL.

Jevon Kearse was a three-time Pro Bowl defensive end with the Tennessee Titans. At 6-foot-4, 265 lbs., “The Freak” is an imposing physical specimen with a deep voice. He is the epitome of masculinity.

He also told us he would warmly welcome a gay player on his team.

“In the game of football, it’s like a war out there,” Kearse said. “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.”

His former Titans teammate Eddie George, who averaged over 1,100 rushing yards a season for his career, agreed.

“I just don’t care about that,” George said. “If that’s what you do, that’s what you do. I don’t hate you because of it or dislike you because of it. That’s not my personal preference, but I respect your decision. I’m not going to like you less or not be your friend because of that.”

George, who DJ’d a party for the NFL rookies last Saturday in Hollywood, said he thought a gay teammate would have been accepted on the Titans team that featured him and Kearse in Super Bowl XXXIV.

“I don’t see it as a problem,” he said. “I don’t think it would have been a problem at all.”

It also may not be a problem for the New York Giants. The defending Super Bowl champions have developed a recent history of celebrating the LGBT community. In 2011, former player Michael Strahan and team owner Steve Tisch publicly supported New York’s legalization of same-sex marriage. That hasn’t been lost on former Giant linebacker Antonio Pierce.

“Some guys have come out publicly and stated how they feel about that,” Pierce said. “You’ve got to give them credit, because that’s a tough situation. Just look at what Obama did recently.”

Pierce said any man who survives the gauntlet of the NFL deserves respect and a spot on a team, no matter how he lives his personal life.

“You have to accept it because he is a part of your team,” Pierce said. “He’s one of the 53 guys. Obviously he’s put in the sweat and the blood and the pain to get there. I’ll never knock him. As long as we can win a football game, I don’t care. As long as we’re winning football games and winning championships, that’s all that matters.”

Pierce’s former teammate Jesse Palmer played out his NFL career in two relatively gay-friendly cities. He said neither the Giants nor the 49ers would have marginalized a gay player.

“We always had really good guys in the locker room in New York and San Francisco,” Palmer said. “Both of those situations, it was a very close-knight group. I don’t think it would have been an issue. If it’s a teammate, that’s a real bond you have in the locker room, especially with football. It’s a special bond. Regardless of someone’s sexuality, that really should have no bearing or effect. At the end of the day you’re a team. That’s the important thing.”

Rookies would welcome gay teammates

While they haven’t experienced the struggles of an NFL season and the relationships it forges, the rookies we talked to all said they were bringing open arms for gay teammates to their professional careers.

Indianapolis Colts tight end Coby Fleener hasn’t thought much about gay issues. Though having attended Stanford, a short drive down the 101 freeway from San Francisco, he has no issue with the idea of a gay man on his team.

“As long as they competed on the field and gave it their all in practice, that’s all I care about,” Fleener said. “It’s not something that’s at the forefront of football. But especially at Stanford and in the Bay Area, it’s something you deal with on a regular basis, more so than anywhere else in the United States. So I’m very comfortable with it, whereas in other areas it might not be the norm.”

Trent Richardson, one of the biggest stars in the 2012 NFL rookie class, didn’t play college football in a particularly gay-friendly corner of America. The running back won two national championships with Alabama and was the third pick in this year’s NFL draft, selected by the Cleveland Browns. His fellow Alabamans passed an anti-gay-marriage law in 2006 with 81% of the vote; Homosexual sex only became legal in the state when the United States Supreme Court struck down all anti-sodomy laws in the nation.

Despite that, Richardson doesn’t care if a teammate is gay.

“I never pay attention to it,” Richardson said while revealing he has gay friends. “They do what they do. I don’t have a problem with them. As long as they’re playing good football and contributing to the team, I don’t have nothing to do with that. It is what it is. I don’t have any problem with any sexuality or whatever they’ve got going on. That’s them. That’s what they want to do. That’s their life.”

Every rookie we talked to reiterated the same sentiments.

San Francisco running back LaMichael James: “I don’t really care. As long as they help us win on Saturday and Sunday, what they do between them is their business.”

Tampa Bay Bucs rookie Doug Martin was thoughtful in his acceptance of gay teammates

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin: “I wouldn’t mind at all. I would accept it and just go along with our business. It wouldn’t really affect me.”

Philadelphia Eagles back-up quarterback Nick Foles: “Their personal preference is who they are as a person. It’s not going to affect anything. They’re still who they are. I’m going to treat them the same way.”

Buffalo Bills wide receiver T.J. Graham: “You can’t discriminate. It’s just like black, white, same thing. You wouldn’t discriminate against my race, just like I wouldn’t discriminate against your sexuality.”

Personal connections

Every player we spoke to said he has a family member, friend or acquaintance who is gay. While that relationship may have strengthened their acceptance of gay people, many of them said their attitudes about gays developed before they had a personal connection.

Former Green Bay Packer Ahman Green revealed publicly for the first time that he has a gay brother and a lesbian sister (for the full story, click here). And he couldn’t be more gay-friendly.

“The gay community is just like everybody else, but they’re treated differently,” Green said. “It’s a double standard. If a guy was, he wouldn’t come out while he was playing. He knows the possibility of the scrutiny he might face from the locker room, which would be unfair. I am very open-minded. It is what it is. People are born that way. You can’t control it. Just like you’re white, I’m black. But a lot of people don’t think my way. I wish they did, because then there wouldn’t be guys who wanted to stay hidden.”

Kearse previously lived in South Florida for several months with his gay male cousin, with whom he is close. It’s for his cousin that Kearse welcomes an increasing tolerance of gay people.

“It’s just becoming more acceptable, which is a good thing, so they can come out and not feel secluded or isolated,” Kearse said.

Graham, who went to high school and college in Raleigh, N.C., has met a bevy gay people in his life. He comes from a large family that includes some gay cousins.

“I figure with a large team that there’s got to be someone in there who’s gay, and that’s fine,” Graham said. “I’ve had a couple friends in high school too. And I met a couple athletes in college, they’re actually female, and they were the coolest people I’ve met.”

While everyone we spoke with had some personal connection to the LGBT community, only one athlete said he had a teammate who had come out of the closet. The smile of Robert Griffin III, the second pick in the 2012 NFL draft, lit up the red carpet at the NFLPA’s Saturday Night Lights event in Hollywood. Known for his colorful socks, Griffin unknowingly chose a fitting pair – colored pink and purple – for his short, unexpected interview with Outsports.

Griffin remembered a high school teammate who had come out to his team in Copperas Cove, Texas. While Griffin said he has gay friends and wouldn’t care if a player came out on his new Washington Redskins team, he remembered a sad ending to the football career of his gay former teammate.

“When he came out, he stopped playing,” Griffin said. “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.”

It was from that out player that Griffin learned a gay teammate poses no threat.

“Just because they’re gay doesn’t mean they’re hitting on you,” he said.

Football as homophobic…a misperception?

While there are occasional public outbursts of homophobia from NFL players, the majority of voices we have heard in recent years reflect all of these men: They don’t care if a teammate is gay.

Yet there is still the perception that football players, in particular those in the NFL, are homophobic. According to public perception, it would be impossible for an active NFL player to come out of the closet because of the locker room tormenting or marginalization he would face. Some of the players themselves voiced that concern despite their own support.

“I think because it’s such a gladiatorial sport, when people think football they think testosterone and hitting and masculinity,” Palmer said. “Whatever the reason, if there was someone who was homosexual in the locker room, that would be a very hard environment to come into because of the nature of the sport. But in my experiences, I really don’t think we would have had that problem.”

While James said he would have no problem with a gay teammate, he also understands the potential unknowns that keep athletes in the closet.

“Nobody’s going to come out and say it,” he said, “just because football is more of a masculine sport, you know. They’re seen as big, strong men. Nobody wants to have that hung over their head or be judged, so I guess I can understand it.”

Richardson says that stereotype of football players is just that…a stereotype.

“People look at us and they think we’re just big jocks,” he said. “They don’t look at us as far as us being smart. We’re not just here because we play football and have talent. We had to work to get this far.”

Foles thinks people see the bigger-than-life public persona of NFL players and forget they are people with friends and family just like everyone else.

“Everybody says football is such a man’s sport, and it’s so tough,” he said. “That’s probably why. But we have hearts too. We’re normal people, and we just want to treat people decently.”

These players’s attitudes reflect a phenomenon we have well-documented at Outsports: The vast majority of people in sports are not homophobic…but they think everyone else is. While we’re still waiting for the first active NFL player to come out publicly, those players deep in the closet now know they have a dozen more friendly voices in their fraternity.

You can reach Cyd Zeigler at cydzeiglerjr@gmail.com

Also: Cyd talks about the story with Amy K. Nelson of SBNation:

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Also: A dozen NFL players tell Outsports they would support a gay teammate

Ahman Green was about 10 feet away, kneeling as he changed out of his cleats. He had just made some former NFL players look silly as he juked his way toward the end zone in the NFLPA’s Premiere League flag football game last Friday at UCLA. His team lost that day, but he looked like he hadn’t lost a step since he led the NFL in rushing almost 10 years ago.

I went to the event on a mission: Talk to NFL players about gay athletes and homophobia. I’d been credentialed to attend the event by the players union. But the players didn’t know I was coming. They didn’t know a gay guy would be roaming the field looking to talk about gay issues.

As I watched Jesse Palmer, Eddie George and “The Freak” Jevon Kearse ready for their game, I was intimidated. My head spun reason after reason to not talk to them. This wasn’t the place. These questions were too out-of-left-field. And most loudly: These guys didn’t want to talk about this shit.

As Green finished lacing his street shoes and rose back to his feet, I was overwhelmed with my own words: I’ve said for years that reporters should ask these questions. There was no reason not to. What were they afraid of? In that moment I knew what they were afraid of. That’s exactly why I approached the four-time Pro Bowler.

“I’m from Outsports. We cover mostly gay issues in sports, and homophobia in sports,” I told Green. “Have you ever had a gay teammate?”

There. Phew. I threw it out there. Now I just had to watch for his hands swinging at my head. Surely he’d try to slug me. Maybe I was hinting that he was gay. Maybe I was coming onto him. Whatever was going through his head, I was ready to duck.

“In our sport, to be honest, I think it would be hard for any guy to come out while he’s playing,” Green said. “And that’s not a happy thing to say. The gay community is just like everybody else, but they’re treated differently. It’s a double standard. If a guy was gay, he wouldn’t come out while he was playing. He knows the possibility of the scrutiny he might face from the locker room, which would be unfair. I am very open-minded. It is what it is. People are born that way. You can’t control it. Just like you’re white, I’m black. But a lot of people don’t think my way. I wish they did, because then there wouldn’t be guys who wanted to stay hidden.”

Huh? I’m sorry, what did you just say? I thought NFL players were deeply homophobic, ready to drive a gay teammate from the locker room the first time he glances at a dropped towel.

“Social change has been coming around for the last 20 to 30 years,” Green continued. “I was born in 1977. A lot has changed since 1977 from issues with sports, with government, with social issues like this. I’m a big advocate of people, let them live. They’re just like us. They want to live. They want to have a family. And to give somebody a headache just because that’s the way they live, that’s unfair just like it was back in the 60s with white and black issues. Same type of stuff.”

Ummmm…excuse me? This is Ahman Green. The guy carried the football for Brett Favre. A lot. On the NFL all-time rushing yards list he’s in the top 40, ahead of Roger Craig and Larry Csonka. He’s the Green Bay Packers franchise leader in career rushing yards, yards in a season and rushing yards in a game. He. Is. The Man. And from the most-storied franchise in the NFL.

Yet here he was talking to me about gay shit.

A friend of his then hollered at him to pull him from me. They had to head out. Interview: Over. I thought.

“I’m gonna finish this interview,” Green yelled back.

Wow. OK. So this NFL superstar is telling his friends to hang tight. He wants to talk to the gay guy some more. I didn’t know what to say, but…OK. So I asked him if he has any gay friends or family members.

“My half-sister, my wife has several cousins. And I had a girlfriend in high school, her mom’s friend was a gay guy. And it was no problem.”

Did you just say your sister is a lesbian?

“Yeah. We didn’t find out until she got older. She didn’t come out to us. I just found out two to three years ago. We were talking through Facebook. I was looking at her pictures on Facebook, and I was seeing rainbows, and I was like, OK, I know what that means. There was another girl in her pictures. And I was like, all right, cool.”

Green also told me his brother was gay. Despite having a child with his former girlfriend, his brother eventually came out, also in the last couple of years.

“That’s what society forces gay people to do, to hide. Eventually they’re like, forget it man, this is how I want to live, and let it be known. So I can breathe.”

As we talked, the interview reminded me of the first time Michael Irvin told me about his gay brother. It was slightly guarded, in passing. But he quickly warmed up and was so thrilled to have someone to talk to about it.

The only qualm Green had with his gay siblings was the fact that they waited so long to tell him they were gay.

“It’s no problem for me,” he said. “If anything, I’ve got your back. For one, you’re my family. Number two, that’s who you are.”

Green said he had found acceptance of gay people long ago. Born in Nebraska, he was raised in Los Angeles. He’d met many gay people in his youth, and that helped shape his perspective of other gay people.

Prior to the Packers, Green played football at the University of Nebraska. Ron Brown was a receivers coach at the time, and Green remembers him fondly.

“I just knew he was a good coach, he motivated us to be the best we could be on that football field, and anything outside of that, he always tried to teach us to be a well-rounded person.”

Since then, Green has heard smatterings of Brown’s anti-gay preaching and his crusade to prevent protection for gay people in Nebraska.

“Each person believes in something. That’s what he believes in. To him that’s right. To other folks, that’s not quite the right way to look at things, because it’s 2012. Times have changed.”

As I shook Green’s hand and watched him walk away, I reflected on the thoughts that raced through my head just minutes before. I’d pegged this NFL superstar, who once resided on my fantasy football team, as a homophobe. I assumed he was as intolerant as the stereotypes would have me believe.

I couldn’t have been further from the truth.

That conversation gave me the confidence to talk with Eddie George, Jevon Kearse, Robert Griffin III, Trent Richardson and a bunch of other former NFL players and rookies. We’ll write about what we heard from them, and which one played with a gay teammate in high school, on Wednesday.

PHOTO: NFL former player Ahman Green during the Tazon Latino VI flag football game as part of Super Bowl XLVI festivities at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE

PHOTO 2: CHICAGO – DECEMBER 13: Ahman Green #34 of the Green Bay Packers runs against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 13, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. The Packers defeated the Bears 21-14. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

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Now the suspended Saints linebacker has banned Outsports from his Twitter feed (we cannot access his feed but can as other log-ins and without logging in). I presume it’s because we’ve asked him to clarify statements and because we have tweeted about his suspension and alleged bounty scandal involvement.

Typical of a guy like Vilma. He marches around questioning other people’s manhood, but when the heat gets turned up he shuts people out and lashes out. Or maybe he just doesn’t want to interact with a bunch of fags. Either way, he can dish it out, but he just can’t take it. Waah, Jonathan Vilma, Waaaaaaaah…

PHOTO: Bruce Kluckhohn-US PRESSWIRE

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9

We present our favorite photos of the past sports week.

This week’s offerings include Canada Cup diving, the NCAA men’s volleyball championships, world rowing, mixed martial arts, NFL minicamps and the funky hair of Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals.

Click image for larger, full-sized view (and that image for the largest view):

Photo 1: Jesper Tolvers and Christofer Erskilsson (Sweden) in the men’s 10m synchro diving event at the Canada Cup in Montreal. (Photo by Jean-Yves Ahern-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 2: Francois Imbeau-Dulac (Canada) during the men’s 3m final of the Canada Cup (Photo by Jean-Yves Ahern-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 3: Jose Guerra (Cuba) during one of his dives at the Canada Cup. (Photo by   Jean-Yves Ahern-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 4: Michael Hixon and David Bonuchi (USA) during one of their dives at the Canada Cup. (Photo by Jean-Yves Ahern-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 5: Alexandre Despatie (Canada) during the men’s 3m final of the Canada Cup. (Photo by Jean-Yves Ahern-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 6: Boston Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks (64) is welcomed to home plate by designated hitter David Ortiz (34) after hitting a grand slam against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. (Photo by Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 7: UC Irvine Anteaters opposite hitter Carson Clark (9) and middle blocker Kevin McDonnell (5) react during the 2012 NCAA volleyball championship against the Southern California Trojans at the Galen Center. UCI defeated USC 25-22, 34-32, 26-24. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PREsSSWIRE)

Photo 8: UC Irvine Anteaters middle blocker Scott Kevorken (11) and setter Chris Austin (3) react during the 2012 NCAA volleyball championship. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 9: Dennis Bermudez (top) fights Pablo Garza in a featherweight bout during UFC on Fox 3 at the Izod Center in Easy Rutherford, N.J. Dennis Bermudez won by unanimous decision in third round. (Photo by Joe Camporeale-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 10: USA; John Hathaway (right) fights Pascal Krauss in their welterweight bout against Pascal Krauss during UFC on Fox 3 at the Izod Center. John Hathaway won by unanimous decision in the third round. (Photo by Joe Camporeale-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 11: Stergios Papachristos, Ioannis Tsilis, Georgios Tziallas and Ioannis Christou of Greece in the Men’s four during Day 1 of the 2012 Samsung World Rowing Cup III  in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic-Getty Images)

Photo 12: Mads Rasmussen and Rasmus Quist of Austria in the Lightweight men’s double Skulls during Day 1 of the 2012 Samsung World Rowing Cup III in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)

Photo 13: Are Strandli and Kristoffer Brun of Norway reacts in the Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls during Day 2 of the 2012 Samsung World Rowing Cup III  in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic-Getty Images)

Photo 14: Washington Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper (34) in the dugout during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park. This is for Holly from Twitter after her special request. (Photo by Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 15: Indianapolis Colts tight ends Coby Fleener (80) and Dwayne Allen (83) run during minicamp. (Photo by Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 16: Cincinnati Reds center fielder Drew Stubbs (6) slides into third base against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. (Photo by Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE)

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‘The Choice’ premieres June 7 on Fox.

PHOTO: David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

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Connor Barwin (Photo: Troy Taormina-US PRESSWIRE)

President Obama’s support for same-sex marriage was big news today, and it did not go unnoticed by Houston Texans linebacker Connor Barwin. The NFL player issued a cool series of tweets in support of the decision, saying, “Those of us with gay relatives and friends understand how meaningful and positive this is!”

We last wrote about Barwin when a teammate jokingly tweeted that he had worn the “sluttiest uniform ever.” What Barwin tweeted today was not as fun, but much more meaningful:

As an Indianapolis Colts fan, I am legally forbidden from rooting for the Texans, but Barwin has quickly rocketed to the top of the list of awesome NFL players, so I wish him nothing but the best.

Update: Not to be outdone, Barwin’s Texans teammate Shaun Cody had this awesome tweet:

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Junior Seau (Photo by: Greg M. Cooper/US PRESSWIRE)

This is sad news about a player I watched and admired for years — former NFL linebacker Junior Seau was found dead today at his home in Oceanside, Calif., from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 43.

Seau played a remarkable 20 seasons, the first 13 with his hometown San Diego Chargers, three with the Miami Dolphins and the final four with the New England Patriots. He was an All-Pro 12 years and played in two Super Bowls. He was beloved in San Diego and raised a lot of money for at-risk children.

Reports say that Seau shot himself in the chest so his brain could be preserved and studied by science to gauge the impact of football concussions to the brain. A similar suicide occurred last year with former Chicago Bears safety Dave Dureson. In 2010, Seau crashed his SUV in what police thought was a suicide attempt, though he said he fell asleep at the wheel.

Seau is the eighth member of the 1994 AFC Champion Chargers to have died, a shockingly high number given how relatively young these players are.

There is a Twitter feed where people are remembering Seau. This was just posted by Vince Wilfork, his former Patriots teammate: “[My wife] and I are heart broken about junior he’s one of the greatest people I shared the field with he will always be ‘Buddie Buddie’ ”

Former NFL player Esera Tuaolo, well-known to Outsports readers, wrote this on Facebook:

JUST FOUND OUT NOW THAT MY COUSIN JUNIOR SEAU COMMITTED SUICIDE! I’M SHOCKED!!!!!!! DEPRESSION IS REAL WITH NFL PLAYERS.

LOVE YOU BRO! REST IN PEACE. …

IT BRING THE COUNT TO 8!! 8 PLAYER THAT I PLAYED BALL WITH OR I KNOW IN THE NFL HAS DIED BECAUSE OF DEPRESSION. I’M SHOCKED!!!!!!

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Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita received a three-game suspension for his role in the bounty program. What’s most troubling about Fujita’s role is his position on the executive committee of the NFL Players Association. Here’s a guy who is repping the players union…and he was involved in this scandal? That’s a big black eye for Fujita and the NFLPA. Fujita has previously voiced his support for gay equality.

Green Bay’s Anthony Hargrove (eight games) and New Orleans’ Will Smith (four games) have also been suspended.

PHOTO: Bruce Kluckhohn-US PRESSWIRE

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In early voting, defending champion and Denver Broncos receiver Eric Decker has a slight lead over U.S. gymnast Jake Dalton. Vote here.

The finalists:

Eric Decker (Photo by: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

Jake Dalton (Photo by: Joe Nicholson-US PRESSWIRE)

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