UPDATE: On Monday, Washington, D.C., lobbyist Jack Burkman said he was preparing legislation to ban gay players from the NFL. On Tuesday, Michael Sam, who is looking to become the first openly gay player in the league, crafted a pretty great reply to the idea.
Unlike Burkman, Sam didn’t need to draft mounds of paperwork to voice his opinion. Instead, the former Missouri linebacker kept his reaction short and sweet, using less than 140 characters — and a solid “Back to the Future” reference — to get his point across.
Although Burkman said he has support for his proposed bill, his younger brother, who is gay, certainly isn’t backing him.
“I think the idea that he is pushing legislation that is just hurtful and ridiculous is just plain stupid,” Jim Burkman told the Huffington Post. “He is not a legislator and he can’t really push legislation. I don’t think there are any co-sponsors for a bill. It is just an attention grab and a media grab to pander to those folks who pay him to lobby on their behalf.”
In a mind-boggling statement, Washington lobbyist Jack Burkman said that he is drafting legislation that would ban gay athletes from playing in the NFL if approved.
“We are losing our decency as a nation,” Burkman said in a statement, according to Rebecca Shabad of thehill.com. “Imagine your son being forced to shower with a gay man. That’s a horrifying prospect for every mom in the country. What in the world has this nation come to?”
His legislation was spurred by the coming out of Michael Sam, who, if drafted, will become the first openly gay man in the NFL.
“If the NFL has no morals and no values, then Congress must find values for it,” Burkman said.
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| Michael Sam |
Although Burkman said he has support for his proposed bill, his younger brother, who is gay, certainly isn’t backing him.
“I think the idea that he is pushing legislation that is just hurtful and ridiculous is just plain stupid,” Jim Burkman told the Huffington Post. “He is not a legislator and he can’t really push legislation. I don’t think there are any co-sponsors for a bill. It is just an attention grab and a media grab to pander to those folks who pay him to lobby on their behalf.”
In a mind-boggling statement, Washington lobbyist Jack Burkman said that he is drafting legislation that would ban gay athletes from playing in the NFL if approved.
“We are losing our decency as a nation,” Burkman said in a statement, according to Rebecca Shabad of thehill.com. “Imagine your son being forced to shower with a gay man. That’s a horrifying prospect for every mom in the country. What in the world has this nation come to?”
His legislation was spurred by the coming out of Michael Sam, who, if drafted, will become the first openly gay man in the NFL.
“If the NFL has no morals and no values, then Congress must find values for it,” Burkman said.
While he claimed to have political backing for the bill, he failed to mention any specific supporters.
Between Sam and Jason Collins, professional sports are beginning to address gay athletes and their rights. There has already been backlash, but that is to be expected.
Jack Burkman is going to need a Delorian, not some bogus bill, if he wants to prevent gay athletes from being in the locker room
— Michael Sam (@MikeSamFootball) February 25, 2014
