Brendon Ayanbadejo: Four NFL players considering coming out as gay

Then again, I don't think Ayanbadejo would be trumpeting this if was going to be long snappers and fourth-string linebackers coming out. He would have to know that would risk drawing a collective shrug.

 

Adding on to one point in my last post, I'm sure that the teams involved have met (or will meet) with their players to discuss this, including how media is handled, any security issues, etc. The players will talk with their teammates as a group and at least give individuals an opening to meet one-on-one. I suspect the reason that players haven't come yet -- at least in the last few years -- is not just because of the people who won't like them, but because of the people who will. The players are going to want to figure out if there's a way they can be honest about who they are, yet not have that envelope their teams and careers. At least if they know their teams and teammates have their backs, they won't have to deal with a large measure of resentment for being a "distraction."

 

The first guy will be a big deal and it will absolutely affect his career. There's no way to avoid the latter.

 

Ruin their careers? They'll have friends hammering the masters of destruction publicly at every turn.

 

Most of the players are going to be fine with this... There will be a select few who will not be, and a few may be vocal about it, but I think those who won't be fine with it, will be a very select few...

I think what the players have to worry the most about will be the teams. Teams hate any kind of distraction, and this will be a huge one. If that distraction is for a superstar, they'll deal with it. If it's a role player or a backup, if the players in question run this by their teams before they do any kind of announcement, I'm guessing they will be encouraged not to do it.

 

Which would in theory be the advantage of four at once. I would guess that at least a couple would be starters, if not Pro Bowlers.

 

What does a bad name for a heavy metal album have to do with anything?

 

Can you translate for us? Masters of destruction?

 

I have an inkling this would be easier to do in football than in other sports. All of those guys have spent at least three years in college, and even if they weren't there for an education they were in a more accepting environment. Different story in baseball between the number of guys who skipped college and spent their formative years in small Southern towns and the huge number of Latin players.

 

I think these guys did that Masters of Destruction album.

 

Doing four players (presumably on four different teams) at the same time would be the best way to do it.

If it falls on a single person, I wouldn't be surprised for a second if some of the others who were thinking about doing it, would back out after seeing the media attention.

I don't think the players are that worried about their teammates or fan reaction. I think they're more worried about the front offices who don't want to deal with the media circus that would come with this.

 

There should be a raft of sidebars about crowd reaction at games with players who came out.