Hall of Famer Dorsett: Never thought NFL would have openly gay player
Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett isn't sure if the NFL is ready to have an openly gay player in the league.
The four-time Pro Bowl running back for the Dallas Cowboys was asked Tuesday for his thoughts on Missouri defensive end Michael Sam revealing Sunday that he is gay. Sam, the 2013 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, is expected to be drafted in May.
"I respect his courage to come out like that," Dorsett told The Afternoon Show with Cowlishaw and Mosley on 103.3 [KESN-FM]. "I never thought it would happen. I never thought a football player would step up to the plate."
Dorsett said he was surprised by the announcement because the NFL environment is one "where the men are men, so to speak -- with the way we carry ourselves in the locker rooms and the way things go."
"I appreciate his courage," Dorsett added. "I can appreciate his courage for stepping up like that and doing it, but I don't know, man. I don't know if the NFL is ready for this. They'll say they are but I don't know if they're quite ready for it."
Dorsett, 59, was diagnosed last year with having signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive degenerative disease of the brain. The NFL reached a $765 million settlement with players over concussion-related brain injuries in August. But Dorsett says that's not enough.
Last month, a federal judge rejected the initial settlement for fear that the amount of money would not be enough.
"It's just not enough," Dorsett said Tuesday. "My brain is priceless as far as I'm concerned."
