Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers Pitcher, Would Welcome Gay Teammate

Detroit Tigers Pitcher Says He'd Welcome A Gay Teammate

The prospect of openly gay athletes playing professional sports has been the talk of the town in recent weeks. Now Detroit Tigers star pitcher Justin Verlander is adding his voice to the mix, saying he absolutely wouldn't mind an openly gay teammate in a CNN interview, according to Yahoo! Sports.

“I don’t think one of our players would be scared to come out. We got 25 guys, it’s a family, and our goal is to win a World Series," Verlander said in the interview. "What your sexual orientation is, I don’t see how that affects the ultimate goal of our family."

Verlander's remarks are the opposite of teammate Torii Hunter. The Tigers' outfielder noted last year that a gay teammate would make him “uncomfortable.”

On the contrary, his comments are more in line with those of Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, who recently announced that he would welcome gay players in the NFL.

Apparently all of the recent banter hasn’t stopped some lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender athletes from coming out of the closet. Mixed martial arts fighter Fallon Fox came out as transgender in a new interview with Outsports this week.

Before You Go

Brendon Ayanbadejo

Straight Professional Athletes Who’ve Come Out In Support Of LGBT Rights

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot