Quarterback Aaron Rodgers says closeted gay players in the NFL are worried about job security

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers himself has had to deny rumors that he is gay.

So it’s very interesting to read his comments about gay players in the NFL in an interview with ESPN Magazine.

Here is an excerpt:

We talk about his friend and former Cal teammate, recently retired Patriots and Chiefs lineman Ryan O’Callaghan, who came out as gay in June. In an interview on OutSports.com, O’Callaghan described how he feared coming out, even contemplating suicide for years. “I’m incredibly proud of him,” Rodgers says. “I know he had a lot of fear about it, and how he would be accepted, and how people would change around him. I think society is finally moving in the right direction, as far as treating all people with respect and love and acceptance and appreciation. And the locker room, I think the sport is getting closer.”

He adds that players like O’Callaghan worry about retribution not only from their teammates but also from executives, again pointing to the absence of guaranteed contracts. “There’s a fear of job security,” he says. “If you have a differing opinion, differing sexual orientation, they can get rid of you. So is it better just to be quiet and not ever say anything? And not risk getting cut, with people saying: ‘Well, it’s because you can’t play’?”