David Tyree: I’d support a gay player on the Giants
When the New York Giants hired former wide receiver and Super Bowl XLII hero David Tyree as the team’s new director of player development earlier this week, it certainly raised some eyebrows around the NFL considering Tyree’s history of anti-gay comments.
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Yesterday, the Giants defended Tyree against the notion that he is a homophobe. Today, Tyree has personally come out and stated that he would be 100% supportive of a gay player on the Giants.
Tyree recently spoke with Wade Davis, an openly gay former NFL player who now writes for MMQB on Sports Illustrated. Tyree explained that he is learning about the LGBT community, and would support a gay player on the Giants:
"My interactions with Wade over the past few months are much more representative of my current beliefs toward the gay community than some tweets from several years ago. Christianity teaches us love, compassion, and respect for our fellow man, and it is in that light that I will continue to work with Wade and others to better serve the gay community. I would absolutely support any player on the Giants who identified as gay, in any way I could. And I will continue to stay in touch with Wade to ensure I am aware of the right ways to do that."
While Tyree can not take back his hateful comments from years ago, he may be able to change views about him as he invests time into learning and understanding the LGBT community.
In this day and age, the NFL needs open minded folk in powerful positions in order to give a fair shot to any player, no matter their sexual orientation.