[Monkeydad]

It's their own choice. Choices have consequences. If they just show up to work and don't advertise to get attention for being gay, it won't cause any problems with the team. If they can't keep it on the back burner, they're just asking for issues both in the locker room and on the employment front, not because they're gay specifically, but because they can cause distractions. A lot of teams try to avoid players with personality problems or legal issues because of the affect it could have on the team. Mike Vick is a prime example. Some teams do not want a media circus and a controversial issue splitting the team in half. This is no different.

And before someone decides to accuse me of something I'm NOT saying...I am not equating homosexuality to crime, but the media's attention if a player were to "come out would have absolutely no benefit on the team and would probably have negative effects on the player's career.

I'm sure there are a few gay players, but if they want to just play football without it being an issue or causing them problems, they keep it to themselves. It's the same scenario with gays in the military. In the end, the men will stick together and not care about it when in the heat of battle, but at other times, it can make some men uncomfortable and that slight lapse in focus could be dealy in in war, or in football could just hurt the team.