Steve Young, the former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, urged tolerance and acceptance of the LGBT community in a keynote speech Saturday night at a conference for gay Mormons in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Young said his goal is to "build bridges with my gay brothers and sisters," according to the AP. "We need to see each other as Jesus sees us."
The Mormon community was active in 2008 in pushing for the passage of California's Proposition 8, which outlawed marriage equality in the state. (The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the ban in June.)
Young is Mormon and played football at Brigham Young University. In 2008, he made news when his wife, Barbara, put "No on Prop. 8" signs in their front yard.
The NFL legend's comments come amid speculation that the first NFL player could come out soon.
At the conference, Young introduced his wife -- whose older brother is gay -- by telling the crowd, "There is not a day that goes by that you are not on her mind. She has spent countless hours advocating for you."
"One of the most beautiful things about this church is that it can evolve," his wife said at the conference. "It may not go as fast as everyone wants, but it is evolving."
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