San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver made some homophobic remarks during a media day interview with Artie Lange at the Super Bowl on Tuesday.
Lange is a former Howard Stern sidekick and is known for asking off-the-wall questions. He asked Culliver — presumably in a joking fashion — if the 49ers had a gay player on the team. He got back a serious, homophobic response.
“I don’t do the gay guys, man. I don’t do that,” Culliver answered. “No. Ain’t got no gay people on the team. They gotta get up outta here if they do. Can’t be with that sweet stuff.”
Lange then asked Culliver if a gay player would be welcome on the team.
“Nah. Can’t be … in the locker room, man. Nah.”
When asked whether homosexual players should keep their sexuality a secret, Culliver suggested they don’t come out until 10 years after they have retired.
Culliver is a second-year player from South Carolina. He is the No. 3 cornerback on the team and a special teams contributor.
The remarks come at an interesting time for the Niners. Not only is San Francisco home to a large gay community, but it was recently revealed that former 49ers offensive lineman Kwame Harris, who played with the team from 2003-2007, is gay after he was charged with assaulting his ex-boyfriend. And in August, the 49ers became the first NFL team to film an “It Gets Better” video in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender teens. Apparently the video did not represent the feelings of everyone on the team.
The 49ers responded with a statement.
“The San Francisco 49ers reject the comments that were made yesterday, and have addressed the matter with Chris. There is no place for discrimination within our organization at any level. We have and always will proudly support the LGBT community.”
UPDATE: Culliver apologized in a statement issued later in the day.
H/T The Big Lead
