NFL draft hopeful asked if he ‘likes men’ by potential coach
An NFL hopeful has told of being asked if he likes men as the first question in an interview for a prospective team.
A coach with the Altanta Falcons asked Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple if was gay during an interview last week, the player has said.
Apple told Comcast SportsNet that the invasive question was asked first as soon as he entered the room.
“The Falcons coach, one of the coaches, was like, ‘So do you like men?'” Apple said
“It was like the first thing he asked me. It was weird. I was just like, ‘No.’ He was like, ‘If you’re going to come to Atlanta, sometimes that’s how it is around here. You’re going to have to get used to it … I guess he was joking, but they just ask most of these questions to see how you’re going to react.”
The team responded quickly to the allegations, releasing a statement from coach Dan Quinn.
He said: “I am really disappointed in the question that was asked by one of our coaches.
“I have spoken to the coach that interviewed Eli Apple and explained to him how inappropriate and unprofessional this was. I have reiterated this to the entire coaching staff and I want to apologise to Eli for this even coming up.
“This is not what the Atlanta Falcons are about and it is not how we are going to conduct ourselves.”
The NFL has also responded to say it would look into the incident.
“This is disappointing and clearly inappropriate as the Falcons acknowledged,” spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement.
“We will look into it.”