Alan Gendreau on paper, seems like a contradiction. All of his “check box” classifications defy stereotypes. Alan Gendreau is a hard-core Christian who grew up in the Bible Belt and played college football in the south. He’s a placekicker for the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders; and he’s openly gay.
Perhaps by the end of this weekend, when the NFL draft has completed; we’ll see an openly gay player in the National Football League (NFL). And maybe that will be Alan Gendreau.
You almost never hear the names of kickers and punters called until rounds four of five in the NFL Draft. Many specialists sign on after the draft as free agents. So we might not hear about Alan Gendreau until Saturday or Sunday; if even then. Both the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers might draft a place kicker, and Alan Gendreau could be considered. However, he’s not the top kicker on anyone’s draft boards.
“It’s totally legit that he can get into the league,” Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, a gay rights advocate, told OutSports. “Place-kicking is all about doing this one specific skill set. And if you can do that, you can make it whether you’ve been out of football for one year or 10 years.”
Visit OutSports to read Alan Gendreau’s interview.
If an NFL team picks him up, Alan Gendreau would become the first gay professional player in any of the four major sports. There’s been players come out after their playing days were over, but they remained in the closet during their playing careers. No one has have entered the NFL, NBA, NHL or MLB openly gay.
Although the internet seems to really suspect Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers is gay for some reason.
This has been a controversial topic lately. A couple months ago, a former 49ers and Raiders OL was charged with assaulting his boyfriend in a fight over soy sauce. Former Chicago Bears linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo said earlier this month that as many as four current football players are in talks to come out in the very near future. On the heels of this, the NHL announced a partnership with a gay rights group.
So it’s time. It’ll be a Jackie Robinson moment.
Alan Gendreau was named first Team All-Sun Belt by coaches and media .
You can follow Alan Gendreau on Twitter
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also an author who also contributes regularly to MSN, Fox Sports , Chicago Now, Walter Football.com and Yardbarker
Banks has appeared on Comcast SportsNet and the History Channel, as well as Clear Channel, ESPN and CBS radio all over the world. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@PaulMBanks)