Former Missouri player Michael Sam (above) knew to expect a certain amount of resistance after announcing that he is gay, which will make him the first openly gay player in the NFL after he is drafted, but he probably didn’t expect the latest twist–a Washington lobbyist is pushing for legislation that would ban gay players from the NFL. Jack Burkman announced on Monday that he is preparing legislation for a ban of gay players in the NFL because he believes allowing them to participate would reflect poorly on the United States.
”We are losing our decency as a nation,” said Burkman. “Imagine your son being forced to shower with a gay man. That’s a horrifying prospect for every mom in the country. What in the world has this nation come to?”
Not surprisingly, the news that a Washington lobbyist is pushing for a gay player ban didn’t sit well with a lot of people. Check out some comments made to Burkman after he posted his comments about moms being scared to think about their sons in the locker room with a gay guy.
@Jack_Burkman I'm a mom and am raising my son such that he will never see showering in the locker room with a gay man a threat.
— Jamie Eisenberg (@jeisenbe) February 26, 2014
@Jack_Burkman for any mom? Like every single mom in the world? I can think of things much more horrifying for my future son to encounter
— Rachelle Friedman (@FollowRachelle) February 26, 2014
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that he is supporting Sam’s decision to come out and says that the league won’t discriminate based on sexual orientation. Apparently this statement by Goodell didn’t sit well with the Republican lobbyist, since this is part of the reason Burkman is pushing Congress to intervene.
“I felt that if the NFL doesn’t have any morals, and people like Roger Goodell, who are just go-along-get-along guys, just want to appease advertisers, appease corporate America and all that stuff. I figured, well, it is time for conservatives in Congress to step in and define morality for them,” Burkman said.
Even though Burkman’s announcement that he is pushing for a ban of gay players in the NFL was met with outrage by many people, Michael Sam doesn’t seem too bothered by it:
Jack Burkman is going to need a Delorian, not some bogus bill, if he wants to prevent gay athletes from being in the locker room
— Michael Sam (@MikeSamFootball) February 25, 2014
Burkman’s firm lost its first client since he made his comments about a gay player ban. DC Solar executives Jeffery Carpoff and Paulette Carpoff told TIME that they don’t want their company to be associated with someone who has homophobic views.
“DC Solar does not condone or support Mr. Burkman’s homophobic views, and since learning about his misguided efforts to write legislation banning gay athletes from the NFL, we have ended our relationship with him,” said the Carpoffs.
“DC Solar values diversity within our company and within out communities, and we do not tolerate discrimination of any sort. As a company working to address issues about our country’s future, we have no intention of working with those stuck in the past.”
Image via YouTube