San Francisco 49ers players make it easy on who to root for in the Super Bowl

If you would have asked anyone on the street which city boasts three football players who opened their mouths this week to spew anti-gay hatred, I doubt many would have said San Francisco before this week.  While I'm a big advocate for free speech, these players deserve the boos they have received all week (although not the death threats).

The following is the interview with 49ers cornerback (that is an actual position) Chris Culliver.

"I don't do the gay guys. I don't do that," Culliver told Artie Lange on his radio show Tuesday, via Yahoo! Sports, when asked if a gay teammate would be welcomed.

Culliver was asked if there were any gay players on the 49ers, a team based in one of the gayest cities in America.

"We don't have any gay guys on the team," Culliver said. "They gotta get up outta here if they do. Can't be with that sweet stuff."

Then he continues because Lange knew he had a goldmine of stupidity at his interviewing fingertips and asked if Culliver thought a gay player should keep it to himself.

"Yeah, come out 10 years later after that," Culliver said.

Following a media storm of protest against Culliver's anti-gay statements he issued this very "sincere" (note sarcasm) apology.

"The derogatory comments I made yesterday were a reflection of thoughts in my head, but they are not how I feel. It has taken me seeing them in print to realize that they are hurtful and ugly. Those discriminating feelings are truly not in my heart. Further, I apologize to those who I have hurt and offended, and I pledge to learn and grow from this experience."

Sadly for the 49ers PR team, this crazy did not stop with Culliver.  Ahmad Brooks and Isaac Sopoaga were interviewed by USA Today and asked about their participation in a video for Dan Savage's fantastic "It Gets Better" project that focuses on anti-bullying for LGBT teens.  The players first denied their involvement, were shown a video on an I-Phone (love technology), and then FINALLY confessed to doing the anti-bullying, not anti-gay video.

The positive thing is that they are anti-bullying.  The negative is obviously they're anti-bullying only if you're straight.

Again, freedom of speech.  The quarterback for the Ravens got in trouble for using the word "retard."  We are becoming very sensitive as a society about word usage.

This cuts a little deeper.  These three football players truly believe their gay hate.  It could have been because they were raised that way or that they are closeted homosexuals themselves and that we will be seeing them at a gay club sometime in the near future.  Whatever the reason, the gay fans (and football actually does boast gay fans) hear that these players who are getting paid to entertain them by throwing and kicking a ball up and down the field HATE them.

After Mel Gibson made his anti-Semitic remarks, I can't see the Jews, or anyone at this point, lining up to see "Lethal Weapon 10." 

So while I usually go with the cutest quarterback (it would have been the shirtless 49er pictured below), I will be rooting for the Ravens Sunday night even though some of their players are probably just as moronic as these three haters.  However, at least they're keeping their mouths shut.  That should be a rule of thumb.  If you hate blacks or gays or women, keep it to yourself.  Unless you have a blog...