New England Patriots tight end Rob
Gronkowski has said he could support an openly gay teammate.
The 23-year-old Gronkowski told gay
sports blog Outsports.com
that he did not know of any gay players in the NFL.
When asked, “How would you feel if
one of your teammates on the Patriots came out of the closet this
season?” Gronkowski answered that he would be “cool” with that.
“If that's how they are, that's how
they are,” Gronkowski said. “I mean we're teammates so, as long
as he's being a good teammate and being respectful and everything,
that's cool.”
Gronkowski joins Trent Richardson of
the Cleveland Browns and Robert Griffin III of the Washington
Redskins in expressing support for a gay teammate.
“I never pay attention to it,”
Richardson
said. “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.”
Other NFL players, some retired, who
have previously said they could support a gay teammate include: Jesse
Palmer, Nick Foles, Jevon Kearse, Eddie George, Antonio Pierce, Coby
Fleener, LaMichael James, Doug Martin, T.J. Graham and Ahman Green.