Breaking news: NFL training camps are difficult. The long hours, the bone-crunching hits, the monotonous meetings. They all can take a toll, even though the entire experience lasts just a few weeks.
It must be hard to be a single guy and find the time for a date. Well, some New York Jets players are turning to Tinder -- the popular dating app -- to get themselves out there, according to the Wall Street Journal. But here's something interesting: A few of the players don't even mention they're NFL players in their profile.
"When I do find somebody, I want it to be real," said new Jets tackle Breno Giacomini, who arrived in New York this offseason on a free-agent contract.
That's understandable. You want the person you date to be interested in your mind, not the nice amount of money in your wallet, right? So, Giacomini smartened up and used a photo of himself without any football gear on and listed his occupation as "construction worker." His photo would probably look something like this:
Nothin like 18 holes on my day off. Last time I golfed @jsitton71(in 08) I shot 138. I should improve today !! pic.twitter.com/iF9ueITw
— Breno Giacomini (@68Breno) July 11, 2012
You'd see a big guy, but not necessarily a football player. The jig ends soon after Giacomini meets his dates in person.
"A few weeks later, it's like, 'What do you have to do on Sunday?'" He usually replies by saying "I have to do work."
The Journal article says at least 11 Jets players had active Tinder accounts as of late July. The app allows users to search for people from 1-100 miles from their location. People can browse photos of potential mates. If interested, you can swipe to photo to the right. If not, to the left. If two users show a mutual interest in each other, the app lets them know and the two people can then send each other messages and eventually, set up a date.
While some players have no problem revealing what they do for a living -- like rookie Calvin Pryor did before he got a girlfriend and deleted his Tinder account -- most seem to want to keep it under wraps.
"I want them to get to know me as a person," said tight end Chris Pantale.
Cornerback Kyle Wilson isn't interested in football groupies because he doesn't "want anything too easy." He joined Tinder to meet women he normally wouldn't encounter.
Alrighty then.
It's all harmless fun for these guys, who are probably just trying to find someone nice. So, if they choose to hide their profession at first, you can safely call that a white lie.
Or maybe it's a smart move. After all, if you played for the Jets, maybe it's wise to keep that a secret. (Sorry, that was too easy)
