Former NFL player David Tyree's
anti-gay remarks have created controversy as he returns to the New
York Giants.
The Giants announced Tuesday that
Tyree, who played in the NFL for seven seasons, would be the team's
next director of player development.
Tyree strongly opposed passage of a
bill allowing gay couples to marry in New York approved by lawmakers
in 2011.
In a series of tweets at the time, he
told followers that there is “no scientific data to support the
claim of being born gay” and he's “met former homosexuals.
That's the #truth.”
He also starred in a video for the
National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the nation's most
vociferous opponent of marriage equality.
“What I know will happen if this does
come forth is this will be the beginning of our country sliding
toward, it is a strong word, but anarchy,” Tyree
said in the video.
Chad Griffin, president of the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate,
criticized the hire in a blog post.
“When did Tyree decide to be
straight?” Griffin
rhetorically asked. “The idea that someone can change their
sexual orientation or gender identity is ludicrous, and the New York
Giants are risking their credibility by hiring someone who publicly
advocates this junk science. His opposition to basic legal equality
aside, David Tyree’s proselytizing of such dangerous practices goes
against the positive work the Giants organization has done in recent
years.”
“As a player, David Tyree made clear
that his misguided personal views trump his responsibility to his
teammates and his employer. Tens of thousands of committed and
loving gay and lesbian couples have wed in America over the last ten
years, and Mr. Tyree is undoubtedly still holding his breath waiting
for society to crumble.”