San Francisco 49er’s cornerback Chris Culliver caused a lot of trouble for himself when just days before the Super Bowl he said gays weren’t welcome in the lockeroom or the NFL.
Well keeping the the promise he made after his apology, Culliver tweeted this photo and “Great time at LGBTQ the Q is for (question)” from the Los Angeles Trevor Project offices when he is getting educated about the struggles of LGBTQ youth.
As quoted in the Trevor Project’s press release last month, Chris said:
“As an African American male, I should know better. Hate and discrimination have a lasting effect, and words matter. I also have a responsibility to myself, and especially to my young fans to be a better role model. The kids who look up to me and other athletes are the future of our country, and our future deserves better than fear, hate and discrimination… I was wrong, and I want to learn how to make it right. That’s why I reached out to an organization called The Trevor Project… No child should ever feel like they are less than anyone else, and God has put me through this storm so I can learn from my mistakes and help make sure no child has to feel that way, again.”
While the comment he made before the Super Bowl was abhorrent, I’m actually glad he made it, and he made it publicly. If he didn’t you can bet he wouldn’t be with the Trevor Project learning about the struggles of LGBTQ youth, or why what he said was unacceptable. At first I felt his apology was just on surface and didn’t have any real feeling behind it, but the fact he followed through with his promise about the Trevor Project really redeems him I think.
We all learn through our mistakes. As you wrote in your post, it looks as though he’s trying to learn from his and to make amends. He;s earning my respect.
It looks like there’s a real positive thing going on here, and I cheer him on for doing it, but something inside me keeps whispering…let’s wait and see…
Let’d definitely wait and see but I give him and the NFL credit. I felt his apology might be lip service too but when you see action follow the words I think that’s a real positive thing. He’s earning my respect back too. Great post.