David Kopay rocked the world of professional sports in 1975 when he became the first NFL player to come out as a gay man. The former running back will speak about "Professional Athletics and the Gay Experience" at 7 p.m. Monday at Trinity University's Laurie Auditorium. Admission is free.
Kopay, 64, spoke to the Express-News by phone from Los Angeles, where he works in his family's flooring business.
Q. Has anything changed in major league sports in terms of accepting homosexual players in the last 30 years?
A. Certainly. When I spoke out, the National Football League and some of the people in the front office were saying hateful things. But yeah, of course things have changed big time. Look at the reaction of (NBA Commissioner) David Stern about the hateful comments of (former NBA player) Tim Hardaway. (Former NFL Commissioner) Paul Tagliabue was honored by Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays for the work he had done. There's been a number of teams that have actually had sensitivity training done.
Q. Would you say Tim Hardaway's homophobic comments are typical of most pro athletes, or is he an aberration?
A. In a certain segment of pro athletes, I'm sure that his comments reflect them. I'd say on a bigger level, I think a pro athlete is like the youth of today, where your private business is your own affair.
Q. Other pro athletes have come out after retirement. Do you think anyone will ever come out as an active player?
A. I think where it really might happen would be at the college level or the high school level, where there's gay athletes participating and competing and are out. The more knowledge and the more talk of things, the greater progress we make in society as a whole, and being understanding and being tolerant will help that happen.
from The Express News
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