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We present our favorite photos of the past sports week.

This week’s offerings include a soccer celebration, Aussie Rules Football, English rugby, the NBA playoffs, track and field, baseball (including Bryce Harper’s hair), lacrosse and NFL minicamps featuring perennial faves Jason Witten, Danny Amendola and Alex Smith.

Click image for larger, full-sized view:

Photo 1: Andrea Dossena of Napoli celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and AC Siena in Naples. (Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images)

Photo 2: Scott Selwood of the Eagles looks to pass the ball during the round eight AFL match between the West Coast Eagles and St Kilda Saints in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

Photo 3: Owen Farrell looks on during the England rugby training session held in Bagshot, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Photo 4: Miami Dolphins defense back Trenton Hughes (47) during organized team activities at the Dolphins training facility. (Photo by Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 5: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) celebrates victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. (Photo by Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 6: Houston Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie (4) celebrates a home run against the Chicago Cubs at Minute Maid Park. (Photo by Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 7: Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) celebrates scoring with second baseman Danny Espinosa (8) against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. (Photo by Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 8: Baltimore Orioles teammates Nick Markakis (right), Xavier Avery (13) and Adam Jones (10) celebrate after defeating the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. (Photo by Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 9: Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) participates in the organized team activities at Methodist Training Center. (Photo by Thomas Campbell-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 10: Notre Dame Fighting Irish midfielder Max Pfeifer (45) celebrates his goal with teammate Sean Rogers (18) against the Virginia Cavaliers during the second half of the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Quarterfinals. (Photo by Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 11: Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer (7) puts on his facemask during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. (Photo by Benny Sieu-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 12: Nah-Shon Burrell (left) fights Chris Spang (right) during the welterweight bout of the Strikeforce World Grand Prix in San Jose. (Photo by Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 13: Brandon Johnson (left) defeats Andrew Wheating (center) and Tetlo Emmen to win 800m heat at the USATF High Performance meet in Los Angeles. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 14: Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (82) during organized team activities at Dallas Cowboys headquarters. (Photo by Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 15: St. Louis Rams wide receiver Danny Amendola (16) looks on during an OTA at ContinuityX Training Center. (Photo by Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE)

Photo 16: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith (11) answers questions for the media at the 49ers practice facility. (Photo by Ed Szczepanski-US PRESSWIRE)

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While five years is a long time to wait for our brothers and sisters in the Castro, it’s the earliest the team can move per contracts with the City of Oakland.

Photo: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

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Rolanda DelaMartinez (mother of Kye Allums) and Keelin Godsey (right)

Pablo S. Torre and David Epstein have delivered possibly the most comprehensive article on trans athletes we’ve ever seen in the media. Simply titled The Transgender Athlete, the Sports Illustrated story revisits athletes like Key Allums and Keelin Godsey, whom we’ve written about on Outsports, in addition to some fascinating new figures.

Lindsey Walker, a 7’1″ trans female from Cleveland, was known as Drew when she played basketball at Central Michigan from 2004–05 to ’06–07. Walker did not publicly come out until after college, but she suffered all the same. “I didn’t expect to lose all my friends,” says Walker, who still has a tattoo bearing the initials of several former teammates on her back. “There were times I thought about suicide.”

But what if she’d transitioned at Central Michigan and become the starting center on the Chippewas’ women’s team? What if Walker, who has had five years of hormone treatments and is saving up for surgery, decides to try out for the 2016 Olympic team—something she says she’s “definitely considered”? Her size, almost unheard of in women’s hoops, would test the delicate balance between inclusion and competitive equity.

The article takes an in depth look at competitive advantage. It examines the quantitative and qualitative effects of hormone therapy and the policies of various sports institutions like the International Olympic Committee and the NCAA.

Godsey also talks about his lifelong dream of making the U.S. women’s Olympic track & field team, which he’ll attempt in Oregon on June 21. We’re cheering for you, Keelin!

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This weekend a group of men will gather at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary to how learn to throw a spiral, make a three-point shot and hit a long ball — and to resist homosexual urges.

Courage, a Catholic group that encourages people with same-sex attraction to remain celibate, is holding its 13th annual sports camp in which “men physically compete on the field while enriching their souls through a daily regimen of prayer, confessions, mass, and the Liturgy of the Hours,” according to the group’s website.

The Courage mission statement states: “By developing an interior life of chastity, which is the universal call to all Christians, one can move beyond the confines of the homosexual identity to a more complete one in Christ.” Sports is an ideal vehicle for such a mission since no athlete can possibly be gay. Or so says a conversion therapist quoted by the Daily News:

Some of that rejection, at least for men, can be linked to failure at sports, the group maintains. Robert Fitzgibbons, a therapist who runs the Marital Institute and has written extensively about what he calls healing homosexual attraction, said in an article on the Catholic Education Resource Center that boys who are rejected because they can’t play sports “begin to identify with the female instead of the male.”

At the root of the problem, he contends, is poor eye-hand coordination. Fitzgibbons spoke at a 2006 sports camp in St. Louis.

“Poor eye-hand coordination?” That must be why Billy Bean only lasted nine years in the majors. One man, Robert, who attended a previous camp, told how he was helped by his weekend with the guys:

“It felt so true and good to see myself as a peer and competitor to the other men instead of believing that I didn’t belong with the other members of my own sex,” he wrote. “Instead of feeling intimidated or repulsed by the physical contact, I liked it … One time a teammate gave me a sweaty celebratory hug. He was humbly secure in himself, just as he was, selflessly and joyfully showing affection to others. I also liked when one man, whom I’d felt intimated by, gave me a pat on my belly, meaning “way to go!” His touch made me feel accepted as one of the guys.”

Robert probably still dreams daily about that “physical contact,” “celebratory hug” and “pat on the belly.”

I am supposed to be outraged by this but this is way too absurd to even take seriously. But I also feel sorry for men who torment themselves by going through this kind of garbage (with all the inner anguish)  instead of just accepting who they are. If they really want to play sports with men just like them, Philadelphia has great gay flag football and softball leagues and an amazing swim club, among others.

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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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But I wasn’t expecting the Bible-thumpers to come out in force over a story about NFL running back Ahman Green having a gay brother and lesbian sister. There was nothing in the article about religion, yet the majority of comments are about what’s in or what’s not in the Bible about homosexuality.

“Do you think God wants us to not tell others what He says about a particular sin?” read one comment. “It is the duty of Christians to love the sinner by showing him his error.” This “the Bible is the word of God” type got strangely silent when it was pointed out all the things the book once endorsed, such as slavery and killing children who curse their parents. His lame rejoinder was that he was an “imperfect Christian.” Translated, that means the Bible is 100% right about homosexuality being an “abomination,” but he will conveniently ignore all the other stuff written 2,000 years ago that is no longer acceptable.

Equally strange was the religious bent the comments took after a story that urged the International Olympic Committee to ban countries who criminalize homosexuality from the Olympics. There was nothing in the story about religion, but that didn’t stop someone calling himself “Rev. Donald Spitz” from writing: “Homosexuality should be criminalized. Homosexuals commit crimes against God, against nature, against the Holy Bible and against the human race.” Ugh, here we go again.

It usually takes just one anti-gay religious bigot to get the ball rolling. Our readers see Outsports as a safe haven and don’t take kindly to people coming on and telling us we’re all going to hell. There is something about true believers who think they can sway you to their side by quoting Scripture, since to them that’s the be-all and end-all of their belief system. They have no problem coming on a gay website hoping to make converts; I don’t see the reverse happening (it’s not worth the effort). It’s also noteworthy that these are always Christians who post these kinds of comments, never anyone from another faith.

An article on the anti-same sex marriage comments by boxer Manny Pacquiao brought the fundies out in full force once it was linked by several Filipino websites (Pacquiao is a hero in his native Philippines). This led to some rather humorous comments, such as the one that said marriage was “trademarked,” and another that went: “If you are born with male organs, that means you act like a man. … Read your Bible folks… look at what happened to Sodom and Gomora…. If you don’t wanna be roasted in hell, stop that gay disease feeling before it’s too late!!!”

At least the Pacquiao article dealt in part with religion, as did our numerous stories about Nebraska assistant football coach Ron Brown and his crusade against gay rights based on his interpretation of the Bible. In the Brown case, religion was central to the story.

What was most surprising, though, was the reaction to the story that said Brown must support slavery because that is the case in both the Old and New Testament. There was  not a single comment by a religious fundamentalist, probably because they would have to tie themselves in knots explaining why the Bible is right on hating gays, but wrong on endorsing slavery. Logic doesn’t work well with these people, but at least they are  supporting Outsports by giving us page views.

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What is it about sports that brings out the crazy in people? And straight guys, in particular. Okay, I don’t know the shooter’s orientation – but I’d bet a hot nickle. There’s a reason a gay bar of 300 guys needs two security guards…and a straight bar of 300 needs 10 guards. For whatever reason, some straight guys get their wires crossed when their favorite team wins. They either find a cop car to burn…or they find a fight with some fellow fans.

I hope they have TNT and ESPN in jail….

PHOTO: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts to a play against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half in game five of the Western Conference semifinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

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She’s also reached some comfort in sharing her bisexual orientation, which she kept hidden in high school to avoid being singled out. Jessica came out to her ATT teammates with little fanfare (“When they found out, they treated me just the same,” she said) and for the last year, has lived with her girlfriend, who wholeheartedly supports her fight career.

“I don’t put it in any titles,” said Aguilar, “but I’d say when I’ve found the right person — whether it’s a man or a woman — I’d be happy.”

Like fighting, Jessica’s bisexuality is something her mother doesn’t quite grasp. Mother and daughter haven’t talked about it since Jessica first told her a few years ago.”

She asked me where I learned it or saw it,” Jessica said. “I told her you didn’t see or learn it; you felt it. She told me it would pass.”

Aguilar is 14-4 and hasn’t lost in over 18 months. With her win last weekend, she became the Bellator Fighter No. 1 Strawweight in the world. Congratulations to her all the way around!

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When people think about countries like Jamaica, Kenya and Ethiopia at the Olympics, they think about the incredible runners, like Usain Bolt. They don’t think about what would happen if Bolt were gay. They don’t think about the fact that he would face a ten year prison sentence for having consensual sex with an adult man. That being open about his sexual identity would be dangerous, not only because it is illegal but because the levels of homophobic violence in Jamaica are so catastrophically high. In the Maldives and Qatar homosexual acts are punished by whipping. Only ten countries recognize marriage equality.

Stephens points out that the Iranian team will be welcome in London, while at the same time a court there sentenced four gay men to hang for sodomy. He also urged gay athletes to come out, if they can.

You are the only ones who have the glare of attention that can be used to effect real change. If you feel safe to do so, come out and make a visible, memorable, courageous gesture for LGBT rights. Show that you are proud to be LGBT. …

To the LGBT athletes who don’t feel safe – and there must be many of you. I invite you to apply for asylum in this country on the grounds that you will face persecution at home if you are open about your sexual identity. Our supreme court has recognized … that a person cannot be asked to conceal their true sexual identity in order to avoid persecution. … LGBT athletes from the 84 criminalizing jurisdictions should use this case to apply for asylum in the UK when they arrive for the Games in July.

I agree with everything he wrote, but won’t hold my breath waiting for the International Olympic Committee to act on behalf of gay rights. There is too much money and too much politics involved for this to rise to the top as an issue. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei have never allowed women to compete as Olympians, and they still enjoy full participation.

LGBT athletes, though, should come out in London if it would be safe for them. Matthew Mitcham has shown that you can compete at a high level and be openly gay. London is one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world, and any out LGBT athlete would be embraced.

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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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