NFL Player Says There's No Need For Gay Athletes To Make Public Statements About Their Sexuality

Cornerback Asante Samuel of the Atlanta Falcons was in studio for SportsCenter today when he was asked about comments he made earlier this week after Jason Collins announced that he was gay. Samuel's comments are troubling and show that gay athletes still have a long ways to go before they'll be accepted.

In his orginal comments made during a radio interview, Samuel questioned why anybody needs to announce their sexuality, saying gay athletes "don't have to show it and flaunt it like that...we have kids out here too."

When asked what he meant by his comments, Samuel said "sports and sexuality is not a combination" and that "the world" is trying to make this a big deal. Samuel would prefer everybody "stick to sports." Samuel also stated that he doesn't want kids being exposed to homosexuality. "I don't want to teach my kids those things," said Samuel. "I teach my kid God, how God lives his life."

While straight athletes don't need to do interviews to announce they are straight, it would be easy to find thousands of examples of straight athletes "flaunting" their sexuality more than Collins. Whether it is being seen with women in public or at strip clubs, or other manners, straight athletes are notorious for "flaunting sexuality."

So what Samuel really means is that he doesn't want gay people flaunting their sexuality. And that is exactly why it is great that Collins made his announcement. Here's the interview...