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“Now, I’m embarrassed about it, but five years from now, if things have changed significantly for the better, I’ll be proud of it.”
Speaking about how the suspension of running back Ray Rice for domestic violence would positively effect similar cases in the future, the recklessness and audacity of Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti’s words have drawn immense media attention and criticism.
But while Bisciotti’s comments will see the Ravens chief indexed to the catalogue of injudicious American sport owners, the whole affair has smoke-screened some abhorrent ongoings within the NFL.
Temporarily released for making homophobic comments in July, special teams coach Mike Priefer was this week reinstated by the Minnesota Vikings.
Concealed by the controversy of the Ray Rice case, the Vikings have faced comparatively little backlash for this setback to the progression of the game.
Concurrent with English football’s biggest ever anti-homophobia campaign – Rainbow Laces – the events are an upsetting yet timely reminder of America’s overdue work to end sport’s silent issue.
When Michael Sam, the first openly gay college football player, was drafted by the St Louis Rams, American sport seemed set for change.
The emergence of LA Galaxy’s Robbie Rogers and Brooklyn Nets basketball player Jason Collins as gay in 2013 offered hope for whoever was to be the first homosexual player in the NFL, but reports later that year saw the subject reach the news for negative reasons.
Following claims of bullying within an NFL camp in November 2013, an official investigation concluded that Miami Dolphins line backer Richie Incognito was responsible for a pattern of racist and homophobic harassment aimed at rookie Johnathan Martin.
Involving routine taunting and bullying, and stemming from the ‘locker-room mentality’, the story showcased all the scepticism regarding possibilities of a gay American Football player. The issue had been given vital public exposure, but nothing was done.
Once again, the idea of a gay man taking the field in the NFL was unimaginable.
With Incognito suspended indefinitely, Michael Sam – star College defensive end – decided to not only come out, but opt for the 2014 NFL draft. Out of nowhere, hope had arrived. One of college football’s best defensive ends, Sam was poised for a relatively early draft selection.
As his peers were picked, Sam remained undrafted as the night went on. Eventually the 249th of 256 players to be drafted, his prolonged pick resonated hesitancy. His labelling as a ‘distraction’ had counter-productively yet ironically effected every team in the NFL; even his drafters St Louis.
Amidst a continuing storm, Sam posted an outstanding preseason, picking up 11 tackles and 3 sacks. For the first time in history, a homosexual player was poised to start in the NFL. After 94 seasons of tradition, progression had finally been made and barriers were to be knocked down.
But it wasn’t to be. Michael Sam was dropped three days before the start of the 2014 NFL season.
Rather than the result of injury or underperformance, the Rams explained Sam’s dropping as “a football decision”. From a football position, however, it was indecipherable.
Coach Jeff Fisher continued to explain how it was a decision made “back in May when we drafted Mike”, but this only further reiterated how the cutting was of no sporting consequence. Instead, it was a reminder of homosexuality’s position in the NFL.
Fisher’s comments resulted in little questioning.
It is in this that the aperture between homosexuality in football and soccer is divulged. An equivalent to the reinstatement of Vikings coach Mike Priefer would never happen in the Premier League, as evidenced by the handling of the 2014 Malky Mackay text scandal.
After a leaked series of offensive texts sent between manager Mackay and peer Ian Moody exposed homophobic and discriminating behaviour on his account, it has become unlikely he will ever see work in football again. Offensive none the less, these comments pale in comparison to what was said by Priefer.
Overnight Mackay had revolved from one of the most universally liked managers in English football, to a hate figure. As a result of the backlash, Mackay lost the Watford job. Shamed and exposed by the newspapers, Mackay faced more condemnation for the derogatory use of the term ‘gay’ alone than Priefer ever would.
For making comments about “putting all the gays on an island and nuking it”, Priefer will walk away, not unscathed as the mud will stick, but with his job.
The Vikings have offered to donate $100,000 to LGBT organisations. But it reeks of a similar whiff to the Michael Sam call; and again exposes the recurrent underlying error in American Football.
As much as the NFL’s recent events show an incredible mishandling of homosexuality in the sport, the reason for this is that they don’t quite know how to handle it. Besides the arrogant and inappropriate nature of what Bisciotti said regarding Ray Rice, there was some truth to be taken.
When it comes to domestic abuse in the future, it seems the league will have the matter conclusively under control. It may have taken a media scandal and subsequent official investigation, but at last the foot has been stamped firmly enough to prevent Ray Rice cases repeating.
Judging by this, you would think that a Ray Rice case would be all it takes to stop a Mike Priefer event from recurring; but the reality is that these are cases of equal moral magnitude. The reason for such an un-equal reaction is one matter out of the NFL’s control – the influence of the fans.
The Premier League may be equally behind when it comes to gay players (still no openly homosexual man has played in any of England’s top four tiers), but in terms of homosexuality’s acceptance in the sport; soccer is years ahead of the NFL.
The excuse of Republican – and also gridiron – traditionalism is one that should be antiquated today, yet it is not. Like racism has been largely phased out of the English game in the last 30 years, for the past two decades extensive work has been carried out to replicate the success for homophobia.
Of course neither task is entirely complete, but aided by changing attitudes in the mid 1990s, the league today is a far less hostile environment than ever before. Finally breaking the player barrier before 2015 is a key aim of the FA, but thanks to the co-operation of pressure groups like Stonewall along with supporters, the real change can be witnessed within the stadium.
In it’s second year, this months’ Rainbow Laces campaign is a prime example of this. Offering free rainbow-coloured laces to both fans and players. In its opening year, Stonewall’s mission saw players from 52 clubs lace to show their support for gay players, and the #rainbowlaces social-media trend was was one of the most successful Twitter campaigns to date.
Having already engaged the vocal support of Lewis Hamilton and Samuel L. Jackson, there is great potential as to how Stonewall’s work could be applied outside the gates of English Football; and more specially across the pond in the NFL.
An essential part of European football’s success at dealing with racism has stemmed from the use of big names to redefine public judgement, and capitalising the support of players in the NFL could help replicate this for homophobia issues. Iker Casillas, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Ajern Robben have all publicly worked with UEFA’s No To Racism campaign, and the influential effectiveness of elite players is something that the NFL could employ greatly.
62 active NFL players – including Andrew Luck, RGIII, Reggie Wayne, Carson Palmer and Trent Richardson – have conveyed public support of gay people. The negative treatment of advocates like Chris Kluwe may be a sad affair, but the fact is that a second string kicker is never going to have the momentum of a franchise quarter back. Rather than see vocalists automatically classed as ‘outspoken figures’, a well-grounded campaign against homophobia in the NFL would have immense potential for progression.
In the case of the Premier League, it was not until the tragic passing of striker Justin Fashanu that action against homophobia really began. Although the two stories may be entirely different, there is no reason that the Michael Sam scenario cannot kick-start an equally consequential reaction.
As far as exposing the deep lying roots of homophobia, and opening the public’s’ eyes to prejudice, the NFL’s current situation means that now is the perfect time for the league to follow in the footsteps of Stonewall and the Premier League. Admittedly the task is far from done in England – something only proved by the Malky Mackay situation – yet nevertheless the results of these events are markers for progression.
The public reaction to Mike Priefer’s reinstatement is a teller of just where the NFL sits right now, and that means there is only opportunity to change.
After all, five years from now if things have changed significantly for the better, perhaps Mike Prefer and the Vikings could be proud of it.
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