CFL fines players for inappropriate social media comments regarding openly gay player Michael Sam
MONTREAL — The Canadian Football League fined two players undisclosed amounts Tuesday for making inappropriate comments about openly gay football player Michael Sam.
NFL team drafting Michael Sam enters unchartered territory marketing openly gay player
Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Arland Bruce was fined for a crude posting on social media urging Sam to “submit to God.”
Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive tackle Bryant Turner Jr. was disciplined for a reported anti-homosexual tweet that has since been deleted.
“The comments made by these players are extremely disappointing and do not represent the CFL’s views or the views of the vast majority of our players,” CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon said in a statement.
“The CFL is supportive of openly gay athletes in professional sports and we commend the courage shown by Michael Sam. During the off-season, we have been working with an organization that specializes in this subject and look forward to announcing a formal partnership with them in the near future.”
Patrick Burke, co-founder of the You Can Play movement that hopes to eradicate anti-homosexual attitudes from sports, called Bruce’s posting “disappointing.”
Burke tweeted that his group “has been in contact with the CFL for months now and are in touch about this.”
It is CFL policy not to disclose the amount that players are fined.
Several pro football players have come out in support of the University of Missouri defensive lineman since he made public that he is homosexual, but some others have questioned having an openly gay player in their leagues.
Get on your knees and submit to God fully.
– Wide Receiver Arland Bruce
Bruce’s posting, in which he misspelled the word gay, asked Sam if he was scared to touch women and added “you gaey man up and do some MFN pushups and get on your knees and submit to God fully. Come out of her. Awareness Trap. Lil homie don’t go thru with it. It’s a trap bruh.”
The 36-year-old Bruce, a three-time CFL all-star and two-time Grey Cup champion, has played 11 seasons with Winnipeg, Toronto, Hamilton, B.C. and Montreal. The Olashe, Kan., native is going into his second season with the Alouettes.
Montreal released a statement on Tuesday regarding the incident.
Turner’s tweet reportedly said: “Michael Sam locker room gonna come with complimentary robes.”
Turner has played three seasons with the Bombers. He had seven sacks in 14 games in 2013.
The Blue Bomber released a statement saying that team president Wade Miller and general manager Kyle Walters have spoken to Turner.
“It is unfortunate that Bryant made this comment through social media,” it said. “Any athlete with the ability and determination has the right to succeed in their sport.”
The 24-year-old Sam is expected to be picked in the early rounds of the NFL draft after a season in which he was a first-team all-American and was named MVP of his team.
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