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The player ultimately wasn't signed. Tom Uhlman/AP/Press Association Images

The first openly gay NFL player was supposed to come out in June but his team got 'cold feet'

The free agent planned to make an announcement before training camp.

A PLAN FOR the first openly gay NFL player to come out fell apart at the last minute in June, Bleacher Reportโ€™s Mike Freeman reports.

The player was a free agent. The team he was planning on signing with, as well as its coaches, knew he was gay. He was going to come out in June so the attention would die down before training camp.

According to Freemanโ€™s account, the team initially gave a โ€œdefinitive yesโ€ to signing the player, but backed out in May.

From Freeman: โ€œSo after lots of talk of a gay NFL player coming out, the talk disappeared. Because NFL teams, in the end, got cold feet. Itโ€™s that simple.โ€

There was also a โ€œwell-known defensive backโ€ who was ready to sign with a team that knew he was gay. But the team backed out as well, saying he wanted too much money. Neither player has been signed as of Week 11.

Itโ€™s unclear exactly why the team got cold feet. Freeman reports that the player told a teammate that they were ultimately scared of the media attention in the wake of the Jason Collins story.

Regardless, itโ€™s a frustrating story that shows how apprehensive the league is to embrace its gay players.

Read the entire story over at Bleacher Report ยป

The Redzone: So many teams, so few playoff spots

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    Mute Kevin O'brien
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    Apr 1st 2021, 7:29 AM

    Ahhh here, dont we ever learn. Niall would be more effective coming out of Tesco with his shopping bags Swinging.

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    Mute Stanley
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    Apr 1st 2021, 8:39 AM

    @Kevin Oโ€™brien: always about โ€œnot having enough passionโ€ etc, itโ€™s killing meโ€ฆ especially when we have the skill sets and player pool. Have to take the next step

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    Mute Anthony O Connell
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    Apr 1st 2021, 9:33 AM

    I like Scannell but for me Kevin o Byrne is munster best Hooker. Heโ€™s all round game is superior and we could do with heโ€™s skillset this weekend.

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Apr 1st 2021, 10:04 AM

    @Anthony O Connell: A fully fit Marshall is ahead of NS too. Wouldnโ€™t even have him on the bench this weekend.

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    Mute Anthony O Connell
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    Apr 2nd 2021, 10:05 AM

    @thesaltyurchin: agreed. Marshall has never really let us down to be fair.

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    Mute Tom Cunningham
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    Apr 1st 2021, 9:26 AM

    Just up the Pashun, that will do it. Few extra angry faces wonโ€™t do any harm either.

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    Mute Paul1980
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    Apr 1st 2021, 7:45 AM

    Swinging your handbags more like

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    Mute TL55
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    Apr 1st 2021, 8:13 AM

    @Paul1980: Hope the players arenโ€™t feeling as negative as you & Kevin. SUAF.

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    Mute Stanley
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    Apr 1st 2021, 8:43 AM

    @TL55: your one of the problems at the moment at the club. You have to open your eyes at the bigger picture, weโ€™ve not come close to winning anything in 10 years and the typical โ€œcome out fightingโ€ wonโ€™t cut it anymore. If Scannell said something like they have been working on defence and stopping line breaks after Leinster then fair enough but it always resorts back to the passion and hard workโ€ฆ. which hasnโ€™t worked since Paulies time and that team had a lot more than passion. If we donโ€™t change the mentality and standards of the club we will be Connacht in a few years, and even they have won more than us in recent yearsโ€ฆ.

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    Mute Chris Tobin
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    Apr 1st 2021, 9:01 AM

    @TL55: agreed 100%,itโ€™s just negativity non stop.

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    Mute David Finn
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    Apr 1st 2021, 9:18 AM

    @Stanley: what do you mean โ€œyouโ€™ll be Connacht in a few yearsโ€? If Connacht received half of the resources squandered by the IRFU on Munster in recent years theyโ€™d have won more than just the one trophy more theyโ€™ve won than Munster in the last 10 years.

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    Mute Patrick O Connell
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    Apr 1st 2021, 11:06 AM

    @TL55: The 42 are publishing a serious amount of Munster articles lately, the click bait is very high as it draws in a serious amount of Leinster supporters sticking their ore in. For some reason Munster top brass are letting this happen. This was a week to keep the head down and do their talking on the pitch on Saturday against Toulouse instead of appearing in the media everyday. This wouldnโ€™t have happened under Kidneys rein.

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    Mute st
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    Apr 1st 2021, 11:41 AM

    @Patrick O Connell: well said Patrick.

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    Mute TL55
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    Apr 1st 2021, 1:30 PM

    @Patrick O Connell: Good point

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    Mute TL55
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    Apr 1st 2021, 1:36 PM

    @Stanley: Any rugby team that doesnโ€™t โ€œcome out fightingโ€ will get dominated like Munster last Saturday. I never suggested thatโ€™s all thatโ€™s needed. As clearly a lot more is but a team in a final must bring itโ€™s maximum aggression. We didnโ€™t Leinster did. They should have beaten us by an awful lot more but you couldnโ€™t say that about their other recent wins.

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    Mute Pol O'Broin
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    Apr 2nd 2021, 12:14 AM

    @Stanley: I think you mean if connacht were to slip further back they would be as bad as Munster, Friend is probably telling the lads we need to win this weekend, christ lads we dont want to be like Munster. If Andy had the player pool and resources of Munster heโ€™d be picking his spot in the cabinet for champions cup.

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    Mute Wedger
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    Apr 1st 2021, 11:13 AM

    Baffled as to how Scannell continues to get picked ahead of KOB! For me he is 3rd choice, at best, behind KOB and Rhys

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    Mute Keith Browne
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    Apr 1st 2021, 1:53 PM

    @Wedger: Scannell hasnโ€™t had good game in 2- 3 years for munster and he just walked back into the starting line-up when he came back form injury? heโ€™s line-out is poor and offers v little around the park on both sides of the ball it baffles me how he still gets picked. And the same goes for Rory heโ€™s been off form for a while now heโ€™s not big enough for a crash ball centre and not crafty enough for the 2nd playmaker role there is alot of deadwood in the munster squad that should been moved on unless they really pull their socks up in the way they perform week-in week-out

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    Mute B Collins
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    Apr 1st 2021, 10:00 PM

    @Keith Browne: 100%. There are for sure some names there who held a lot of promise a few years back but for a variety of reasons didnโ€™t get reach the standard of play that merited consideration for international duty. Ultimately if you want silverware then at least 1 to 15 need to be test calibre. If players arenโ€™t showing that by their late 20s, then you have to wonder why weโ€™re not giving the opportunity instead to younger players who could yet make it.

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    Mute Surly Duff
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    Apr 1st 2021, 9:25 AM

    โ€œThatโ€™s what Munster *didโ€.

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