It’s pretty unheard of to hear the words “gay” and “NFL” together (unless you’re talking about William or Randall Gay).  But one former football star is attempting to break the stigma that professional athletes are homophobic by posing on the cover of Out magazine.  And he’s got a pretty personal reason why.

Michael Irvin, a former Dallas Cowboy turned radio host, is on the cover of Out magazine and admitted he was a homophobic player in his younger days, even though his older brother is openly gay.

He told the magazine his brother opened his eyes, turning one of football’s former bad boys from a homophobe to a gay community supporter.  While there’s not a ton of non-retired out athletes, Irvin is looking forward to the day when a current athlete in one of the “four major sports” comes out.

If anyone comes out in those top four major sports, I will absolutely support him. 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.

Putting all of my football allegiances aside, I have to give Irvin a lot of credit for stepping up and supporting his family and any future athletes who reveal they’re gay.

What do you think of Irvin’s interview?  Is Irvin a needle in a haystack or do you think most professional athletes are ok with fellow athletes being gay?

[Source: Yahoo!]