Minnesota Vikings running back and reigning NFL MVP Adrian Peterson, who made headlines last week when he said he's "not with" gay marriage, tells the Oklahoman that he wouldn't mind having a gay teammate, except maybe in the locker room showers:
“Simple things, as far as showers and things like that, you know, of course, anyone would be uncomfortable,” Peterson said Monday. “But you know, I'm a grown man. There's things that I can deal with. I'm comfortable in my skin. I'll still high-five them. Pat them on the butt when he's doing good, and go on about my business.”
As a reminder, here are Peterson's remarks on same-sex marriage:
"To each his own, (but) I'm not with it. I have relatives that are gay. I'm not biased towards them. I still treat them the same. I love them. But, again, I'm not with that. That's not something I believe in. But to each his own."
Many players have been voicing their opinion on this topic lately.
Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck told CNN over the weekend that he'd have "no problem" with a gay teammate and "I'd be disappointed if there was a negative reaction among players." Luck said he hoped that a gay player would feel comfortable coming out.
Rookie Steelers QB Landry Jones said as a Christian he doesn't believe in homosexuality but it would not interfere with his game: "I don't think it's right, but it's their life and I'm not going to go up because someone is gay and be mean or hateful and say terrible things to them. I'm going to treat them like a human being."
New York Jets linebacker DeMario Davis said he thinks gays are sinners but he'd welcome one to the team.
And NFL legend Joe Namath said over the weekend that homophobic players should "get over it":
"I have friends that are gay. I've worked in theater, I've been in art, you know, for some time. We work shoulder to shoulder. There's a lot of love from me to them, too. That's life, you know. And if you've got a hangup about it, I hope you can get over it because it's real."