As I’m writing this, it’s June 2—just the second day of Pride Month—and unsurprisingly, rainbow-themed displays are popping up everywhere. The NFL is no exception, though 10 teams have opted out of participating this year, down from 12 previously. Among those connected to the holdout teams is former Dallas Cowboys star Dez Bryant.
Bryant recently responded to the NFL’s June 1 Pride Month post, particularly a resurfaced 2021 tweet where the league declared, “Football is gay.” On Monday, he took to Twitter to share his views on Pride Month, or as he called it, “Rainbow Month.”
“Football is gay. Football is queer. Football is transgender,” Bryant tweeted, referencing the NFL’s messaging. “These are wild statements to make…excuse my silliness. I’m going to proudly tell my boys football is none of these things. I have nothing against gays, but this is far from right.”
He didn’t stop there.
Bryant added, “There are gay players in the NFL, but forcing this in everyone’s face—especially children—can send the wrong message. Football is its own community, just like the gay community. Imagine telling gay people they must advocate for straight people—it probably wouldn’t go over well.”
While Pride Month still enjoys widespread support across the sports world, pushback like Bryant’s appears to be growing louder—and some people are here for it.