More Than a Dozen NFL Players Reportedly Know That One of Their Former Teammates Is Gay

A breakthrough could be coming.

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About a month ago, CBS Sports writer Mike Freeman published a report about a gay NFL player who was apparently thinking about coming out soon. To date, that player has not revealed himself or admitted to being gay. But a new report from Freeman suggests that that day could be coming.

According to the new report, Freeman knows of one active NFL player who has lived his life as a gay man openly around some of his former teammates for the last several years (the player joined a new team last season). And, while that player hasn't come out publicly, Freeman talked to several of those former teammates who knew that this specific player is gay.

"It was the worst kept secret on the team," said one former teammate. "Many of us knew and we didn't care at all…We saw him as a player, not as a gay player."

That teammate, who is not identified, tells Freeman that about a dozen other teammates also knew that the player is gay. Coaches and even several players' wives knew as well. But Freeman did not identify the player in his report because the player has not come out publicly yet.

We admit that it's a little weird that this story is considered "news." But, as Freeman points out at the end of his piece, it's nice to hear that there are NFL players out there who are open-minded about the sexuality of their teammates. It might help players like the one that Freeman knows about to feel comfortable enough to come out sometime in the near future.

RELATED: Hall of Shame: A Recent History of Homophobia in Sports

[via CBS Sports]

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