http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/sh...s-on-the-cover-of-Out-magazine?urn=nfl-wp3312 Michael Irvin's always been a passionate guy. He played with passion as he helped the Dallas Cowboys win three Super Bowls, and he speaks passionately now that he's paid to talk about the game. His passion has most recently turned towards the gay community. The Playmaker now sees it as his mission in life to fight homophobia and bring people closer together. To that end, he's on the current cover of Out magazine, a publication that deals with gay men's fashion, entertainment in lifestyle. Inside, Irvin opens up about his days as a young, homophobic player in the NFL, the cross-dressing homosexual brother who made him (eventually) change his attitudes, what he's doing about it now, and what life might be like for a gay player in today's NFL. It's a fascinating read, and even having been a fan of Irvin's for years, it's a side of him about which I had no idea. Here are some snippets. On what life might be like for a gay athlete in one of America's major sports today: "I'm not gay, but I was afraid to even let anyone have the thought. I can only imagine the agony—being a prisoner in your own mind -- for someone who wants to come out. If I'm not gay and I am afraid to mention it, I can only imagine what an athlete must be going through if he is gay." On how Irvin's Cowboys might have handled it if they had an openly gay teammate: "I believe, if a teammate had said he was gay, we would have integrated him and kept moving because of the closeness. We had a bunch of different characters on that team. Deion [Sanders] and Emmitt [Smith]. I believe that team would have handled it well." On an athlete coming out in today's sports world: "If anyone comes out in those top four major sports, I will absolutely support him," says Irvin. "That's why I do my radio show every day. When these issues come out, I want to have a voice to speak about them. I think growth comes when we share. Until we do that, we're going to be stuck in the Dark Ages about a lot of things. When a guy steps up and says, 'This is who I am,' I guarantee you I'll give him 100% support." Again, you can read the article online here, and see more pictures from Irvin's Out photoshoot. I hope you'll take a look at it, especially if you're DeSean Jackson.
Good for Michael Irvin (and I don't often say nice things about Cowboys and former Cowboys). I think most straight men go through a homophobic "phase". I know when I was a pre-teen the most horrible insult I could think of was to call someone gay. And I reserved it for the most horrible offenses I could imagine at the time (listening to Duran Duran instead of Ratt and Twisted Sister for example). I thought that every gay man in existence was desperate to get his hands on my diminutive chubby 12 year old "goods". I imagined that lesbians were o.k as long as both partners were conventionally beautiful and more than willing to "let me watch" (a combination that existed only in my 12 year old mind). I look back on the way I felt then with about equal parts amusement and shame. What REALLY scares me though is there are a lot of people in their 20's and 30's who still think of reality the way that grossly immature, frightened and yes, mind numbingly stupid child I was did. Sad.
I guess I'm the only one who was more shocked that he's posing on the cover of a gay men's magazine greased up with his shirt off than the fact that he's just on the cover and discussing homosexuality. Seriously, nobody?
He's on crack on that picture too. Him and Deion Sanders make NFL Network go during NFL season. Love waking up on Sunday mornings listening to crackahead.
