Argos would embrace gay teammate

Football players come out in support of gay rights ahead of Grey Cup

Two members of the Toronto Argonauts football team say they would welcome a gay player to their locker room.

Xtra chatted with offensive lineman Joe Eppele and wide receiver Mike Bradwell during practice two days before their Nov 18 Canadian Football League playoff win against the Montreal Alouettes.

“We have a very welcoming locker room,” Eppele said, acknowledging that it will still be hard for the first openly gay professional football player. “There are gay and lesbian athletes out there; they probably just don’t feel comfortable at the moment to come out.”

Eppele said a “stubborn jock mentality” persists in the sport.

Bradwell agreed, noting that while he’d support a gay teammate, “I can’t lie and say it would be easy.”

Check out Xtra‘s video interview with Eppele and Bradwell.

Read the full story here.


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