The Atlanta Falcons won’t be punished by the NFL after an assistant coach asked one prospect his sexual orientation during the recent combine.
Normally, the NFL Draft Combine is a weekend in Indianapolis where teams run the top college prospects through drills, give them test and interview them to see if that player is right for that team. It was the last part of that sentence that got one team in some very hot water.
During an interview with Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple, a member of the Atlanta Falcons coaching staff asked Apple if he “liked men.” Apple told reporters later he laughed it out and wasn’t offended.
After an investigation, it was determined that secondary coach Marquand Manuel was the one who asked the controversial question. Both Manuel and the team issued apologies.
Now, the NFL is saying the team won’t be punished any further for the incident. Commissioner Roger Goodell said the team admitted to the incident and took responsibility for it:
"“I spoke to [head coach] Dan Quinn and I actually spoke to the coach who was involved in this matter. I think the Falcons, as an organization, and Dan Quinn as a head coach, and the coach who was involved, have all taken ownership of this issue, recognized the mistake that was made, have been very forthcoming and have taken the appropriate steps to educate everyone.“The team has taken on training programs within the organization which I think are all very satisfactory. So I don’t see any further steps at the league level at this point.”"
The Falcons are working damage control as they await a decision from the state of Georgia regarding a controversial “religious liberty” law that would allow businesses to deny services or goods to customers based on the religious beliefs of the owners.
The NFL has come out against the law and said it could affect future decisions on awarding a Super Bowl to the city of Atlanta.
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