Oct. 29, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers cornerback (29) Chris Culliver against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Cardinals 24-3. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
On the heels of news that a former San Francisco 49ers player was involved in an altercation with his boyfriend, Chris Culliver is trying to recover from anti-gay comments he made.
“I don’t do the gay guys man,” Culliver said. “I don’t do that. No, we don’t got no gay people on the team, they gotta get up out of here if they do.”
“Can’t be with that sweet stuff. Nah … can’t be … in the locker room man. Nah.”
The comments came on former Howard Stern’s sidekick Artie Lange’s show. Lange asked about the possibility of having a gay teammate.
I personally wasn’t too familiar with the 49er cornerback but he has been thrust into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. His Super Bowl opponent Brendan Ayanbadejo of the Baltimore Ravens is using the platform to fight for same-sex marriage.
“That’s not what’s in my heart,” Culliver said as he apologizes profusely and repeatedly. “I’m sorry if I offended anyone.”
“No . . . I mean, hopefully not, that’s why I’m doing this today,” said when asked if he was worried about being labeled a homophobe.
His coach, Jim Harbaugh, has come to his player’s defense saying that he is not a homophobe or hateful person.
“There’s not malice in his heart. He’s not an ugly person. He’s not a discriminatory person,” Harbaugh said. “I really believe that this is something that he’ll learn and grow from.”
Harbaugh said he spoke with Culliver but declined to go into details. He said Culliver made comments in response to a question, off the cuff and without thinking or choosing his words carefully. It wasn’t till later when he read a transcript of the comments that he recognized how hurtful they were.
Chris Culliver is relatively young, only 24 years of age, so there is probably some truth to what Harbaugh had to say.
Nevertheless he found the spotlight on the biggest stage of his career and maybe even his life, for all the wrong reasons.