Retired NFL Defensive Tackle Esera Tuaolo Talks Athletes Coming Out
Retired NFL Defensive Tackle Esera Tuaolo joined Ed & Steve to talk about pro athletes coming out. Tuaolo played for five teams over his nine year career. Most notably he played for the Minnesota Vikings from 1992-1996 starting 28 games and recording three sacks.
Steve asked Tuaolo if the NFL is ready for a gay football player. Tuaolo said that the NFL is absolutely ready and that we are living in different times now and that things are no longer so black and white.
Retired NFL Defensive Tackle Esera Tuaolo
Steve then asked what type of response he got from former teammates when he came out. Tuaolo told him that back then it was a little bit more hostile, but nowadays things are different players and coaches are held accountable for using homophobic language where as it was a bit different because people weren't as educated about it 10 years ago.
Ed asked Esera about the way people use the word gay in slang like "man the shirt is gay" and if that is something that people should be educated about. Esera told him that using it like that is just another way of hate and that it shouldn't be done. He compared to calling someone fat or someone being called a four-eyes.
