Brendon Ayanbajo: Baseball might have first openly gay player

Contents:

• CARL NASSIB, FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER NFL GAME, MAK HISTORY AND STARS THRILLG LAS VEGAS RAIRS W
• ACTUALLY, JASON COLLS ISN'T THE FIRST OPENLY GAY MAN A MAJOR PRO SPORT
• CARL NASSIB MAK RAIRS ROSTER, FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER NFL HISTORY
• BALTIMORE RAVENS' BRENDON AYANBAJO ON MARRIAGE EQUALY, MATT BIRK, PRO-GAY PLAYERS
• TERRELL SUGGS, BALTIMORE RAVENS OUTSI LEBACKER, SAYS TEAM WOULD WELE A GAY PLAYER
• FORMER RAVENS LB AYANBAJO SE GAY NFL PLAYERS COMG OUT
• CARL NASSIB FORC GAME-WNG FUMBLE AS RAIRS W FIRST-EVER NFL GAME WH OUT GAY PLAYER
• BALTIMORE RAVENS WERE ONCE A CULTURE CLASH ON GAY MARRIAGE
• COULD FOUR GAY NFL PLAYERS E OUT AT THE SAME TIME? EX-BALTIMORE RAVENS LB BRENDON AYANBAJO SAYS ’S POSSIBLE
• BRENDON AYANBAJO: BASEBALL MIGHT HAVE FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER

CARL NASSIB, FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER NFL GAME, MAK HISTORY AND STARS THRILLG LAS VEGAS RAIRS W

Las Vegas Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib ma history durg the team's opener agast the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night, beg the first openly gay NFL player to su up a regular season game. Nassib, who has played the NFL sce 2016, me out as gay earlier this year. He's the first active, openly gay player to be on an NFL roster, but other players have paved the way.

Michael Sam beme the first openly gay player to be drafted by the NFL 2014, but was cut by the St. -- Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson rpond to a social media post Sunday that cricized his performance wh a profany-laced tweet that clud an anti-gay a half hour after the Ravens' 28-27 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, a Twter er tagged Jackson a tweet that read: "someone askg for over $250 ln guaranteed like [Jackson]...

ACTUALLY, JASON COLLS ISN'T THE FIRST OPENLY GAY MAN A MAJOR PRO SPORT

Major-league baseball player Glenn Burke was fortably out to his teammat and iends 1976—but back then, was the prs that wasn't ready for a gay male / LMA few months back, the Baltimore Ravens' Brendon Ayanbajo, an outspoken advote for LGBT rights, told USA Today that he thought the first player the three major sports to out himself would be a baseball player: "The relig roots are a lot eper basketball and football.

This week's g out by NBA player Jason Colls is momento, but the Jackie Robson of gay rights was Glenn Burke, who played for the Los Angel Dodgers and Oakland A's om 1976 to 1979.

Even his superb tobgraphy, Out at Home, which published the year he died, failed to stir open nversatn about homosexualy sports. Practilly no one the sports-wrg muny would acknowledge that Burke was gay or report stori that followed up on his told People magaze while promotg his book 1995, "My missn as a gay ballplayer was the breakg of a stereotype... They n't ever say now that a gay man n't play the majors, bee I'm a gay man and I ma .

CARL NASSIB MAK RAIRS ROSTER, FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER NFL HISTORY

"And yet Burke is remembered ls today as a pneer for gay rights and more as the man who, along wh Dty Baker, vented the "high five. " The media general and the sports media particular found Burke's homosexualy an nvenient tth.

BALTIMORE RAVENS' BRENDON AYANBAJO ON MARRIAGE EQUALY, MATT BIRK, PRO-GAY PLAYERS

Whout immediate and open statements om league officials, gay athlet will fear cheap shots om opponents, beg shunned by teammat, and beg trad or even cut by their teams. Are they pretendg that they don't know that they have gay athlet their leagu?

Carl Nassib ma the fal 53-man roster for the Las Vegas Rairs on Tuday, ensurg the NFL will see s first openly gay player on the field when the Rairs host the Baltimore Ravens Week 1 on Sept. Nassib is one of 16 gay or bi men to play NFL history and will be the first to play a regular season game while out. Ayanbajo spoke to The Advote about his teammate Matt Birk, whose beliefs on marriage are the oppose, what he's tght his children about gay people, and why more NFL players are supportive of LGBT rights than ever Advote: What spurred you to beg beg actively volved the fight for marriage equaly, specifilly Maryland?

TERRELL SUGGS, BALTIMORE RAVENS OUTSI LEBACKER, SAYS TEAM WOULD WELE A GAY PLAYER

Recently you've said that the amount of support over gay rights and marriage equaly has grown exponentially among NFL players. I would say before the issue of equal rights for gay people, there was the issue for equal rights for women, for mori, specifilly for Ain-Amerins.

The Baltimore Ravens' Terrell Suggs posned himself direct opposn to the media firtorm surroundg his Super Bowl rivals by proclaimg that he and his teammat would wele an openly gay player. Tellg NBC Sports that he would "absolutely not" have a problem wh a gay teammate, the Ravens outsi lebacker noted, "We don't re.

FORMER RAVENS LB AYANBAJO SE GAY NFL PLAYERS COMG OUT

”Of urse, Suggs' teammate is Brendon Ayanbajo, who has not only been an outspoken advote for same-sex marriage, but has also vowed to e the Super Bowl XLVII as a platform to promote lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) rights. The Ravens lebacker has mataed a diplomatic stance on the ntroversy surroundg Chris Culliver, the San Francis 49ers rnerback who clared that he "don't do the gay guys, man" and that his team "don't got no gay people" an terview wh Artie Lange.

Las Vegas Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib savored a “special night” Monday as he beme the first openly gay NFL player to feature a regular season game. Earlier this year, 28-year-old Nassib, who has played for three teams over five years the NFL, beme the first active player the history of the league to announce that he is gay.

It was Nassib’s first regular-season game sce beg the NFL's first active, openly gay player – and he had a starrg role.

CARL NASSIB FORC GAME-WNG FUMBLE AS RAIRS W FIRST-EVER NFL GAME WH OUT GAY PLAYER

'STRUCK A CHORD':Fan at Rairs game to support openly gay DE Carl NassibHISTORY:Las Vegas Rairs' Nassib out as first openly gay active NFL playerOPINION:Nassib's g out don't jt make history. BALTIMORE (AP) -- Former Baltimore Ravens lebacker Brendon Ayanbajo says up to four NFL players may soon e out as gay, acrdg to a published report. The treatment of gays and athlet is a hot topic.

Rutgers basketball ach Mike Rice was fired this week for phg, shovg and throwg balls at players November, and addrsg players wh homophobic slurs.

BALTIMORE RAVENS WERE ONCE A CULTURE CLASH ON GAY MARRIAGE

A strong advote of gay marriage, he ially suggted the roster move stemmed om his ntroversial stance. Ayanbajo spoke openly about his belief gay marriage the days leadg up to the Super Bowl.

That echoed a stance he took November, before Maryland voted to pass a law approvg gay marriage. Carl Nassib ma history and ma a statement on Monday Night Football, as the openly gay player forced the game-wng fumble as the Las Vegas Rairs beat the Baltimore Ravens overtime, 33-27.

COULD FOUR GAY NFL PLAYERS E OUT AT THE SAME TIME? EX-BALTIMORE RAVENS LB BRENDON AYANBAJO SAYS ’S POSSIBLE

For years people have phed the ia that out gay athlet will be a distractn for their team and somehow unrme their team’s abily to w.

Supporters of gay marriage rallied around Ayanbajo; the Ravens and others pro football backed him; and Ellen DeGener exchanged glowg msag wh him on Twter.

BRENDON AYANBAJO: BASEBALL MIGHT HAVE FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER

That year, he found gay slurs directed at him on Inter msage boards. In the Ravens’ locker room, players ma c remarks and asked him when he would reveal his homosexualy, he said.

He starred for Santa Cz High School’s football team, but he was also active theater, ro a skateboard and beiend many openly gay stunts. He speaks out only when he hears a teammate utter a gay slur. ”Sce Ayanbajo first spoke out 2009, has bee more mon for profsnal athlet to support gay rights.