Baldwin, Kelce among 14 Pro Bowlers who would welcome openly gay teammate
While there are no openly gay players in the NFL currently, an 18-person survey conducted by Out Sports at the Pro Bowl says that one would be welcomed by most of the league's rosters.
Jeremy Brenner of Out Sports asked 18 players during last week's Pro Bowl practices in Orlando about the infamous shooting at the local Pulse nightclub, LGBT issues, and the prospect of having a gay teammate.
Fourteen replied in supportive fashion:
- Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin
- Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce
- Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis, tight end Greg Olsen, and fullback Mike Tolbert
- Green Bay Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
- Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray
- Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas
- Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith
- Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard
- New York Jets defensive end Leonard Williams
- Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward
- Detroit Lions kicker Matt Prater
- Miami Dolphins cornerback Walt Aikens
Four players declined to answer the question.
Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith and Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner offered no comment.
Oakland Raiders punter Marquette King said he doesn't pay attention to world events and only watches cartoons.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles claimed to not know what LGBT meant.
While Kelce said he would be supportive of an openly gay teammate, he also admitted he had never heard of the Pulse nightclub shooting that killed 49 people.