In a post on the Houston Chronicle's "Ultimate Texans" blog, writer Brian T. Smith makes a somewhat stunning revelation: two members of the 1993 Houston Oilers were known by teammates to be gay, and their sexual orientation was not an issue in the locker room.
The 1993 Oilers were recently featured in an episode of "A Football Life," NFL Films and NFL Network's documentary series. The team is considered by many to be the most dysfunctional in league history.
Linebacker Lamar Lathon confirmed to Smith that two of his teammates were gay and accepted by their teammates.
"Listen, those guys that we’re talking about were unbelievable teammates," Lathon said. "And if you wanted to go to war with someone, you would get those guys first. Because I have never seen tougher guys than those guys."
Cornerback Cris Dishman echoed those sentiments, saying players found showering with gay teammates to be "no big deal."
No active NFL player has ever come out as gay. In April, NBA veteran Jason Collins became the first male athlete in a major North American team sport to reveal his homosexuality publicly. Collins' story was front-page news at the time.
