Outsports Exposes Numerous Homophobic Tweets from NFL Players Still Active on Social Media

Last week a gay fan of the queer website Outsports conducted an examination of tweets of all players on 2022 NFL rosters and "found 2,012 instances of homophobic or otherwise problematic language on Twitter (now called X) by about 300 players, mostly from a decade or so ago, including 408 tweets that used the anti-gay slurs 'fag' or 'faggot'. There were 22 players who used the 'fag/faggot' slur six or more times, some as high as 25. One of them has already apologized in a statement to Outsports for using such language in past tweets."

The fan who conducted the examination is a college student named "Craig" who went through the 2022 rosters of all teams starting this winter. His list does not include searches of any NFL rookies this season, nor does it include players who had retired before 2022. "Outsports has verified Craig's identity, but he asked for anonymity out of concern of online attacks from fans of the players or teams. He conducted a similar survey on the NBA for Outsports in 2022, finding 78 problematic tweets."

"I wanted to see if not only my favorite players in the league support LGBTQ people, but I also recognize that every person has a different favorite player so I wanted to cover all the bases so that other people know if their favorite player has a homophobic past or not," Craig told Outsports. "I want this to set a precedent throughout sports that it is simply not OK to behave this way and to increase awareness about how endemic of a problem homophobia in sports is."

The only active NFL player to apologize for his tweets was Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee. He posted his tweets in 2012-13 when he was 19 and 20 and a student at Western Kentucky and used "fag" eight times in six tweets. "After Outsports contacted the Rams this week for comment, he or someone involved with his X account deleted these tweets," the website reported. Higbee also explained that he has matured in the years since posting those tweets.

"I regret the offensive comments I made on social media in the past," Higbee told Outsports in a statement sent by the team. "In the 10 years since I typed those words, I have matured as a professional athlete, and as a person. I have recently been named a captain by my fellow teammates and have become a father to a beautiful baby girl. I strive to be a role model in both of those responsibilities and a positive example to those who look up to and depend on me."

"Since moving to Los Angeles, I have encountered people from all walks of life and beliefs, and I have learned the value of diversity and inclusion – on and off the field. Again, those comments do not represent who I have become and I apologize to all those who were hurt by those words."

Still, Outsports reported that "all the 300 players' tweets were still active as of this summer, and Outsports has screen-captured hundreds of them. As Outsports has researched this story and reached out to teams, players and the league this week, various athletes have either deleted their tweets or made their X profiles private."

Outsports added that language considered to be homophobic does not necessarily convey an animus toward LGBTQ+ people. Rather, this kind of language is often learned over time through hearing it used by friends, teammates, even parents and coaches.

Nonetheless, a week later "the vast majority of NFL players' old tweets containing anti-gay slurs have gone unchecked," Outsports said in a second report.

"On Monday, Outsports identified 48 currently active NFL players who tweeted 'f*g" or "f***ot' specifically – representing 21 teams and free agency – whose tweets were still online."

"This did not count those who used other problematic homophobic language. It also does not include players like Joe Mixon and Justin Hardee who deleted their tweets since Outsports' initial story."

Interestingly, major sports and media outlets have ignored the report, though similar reporting on racist tropes in social media were reported by Yahoo, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, USA Today and others.

Thankfully, the story hasn't been ignored by some NFL players, as various athletes have since deleted their tweets containing gay slurs. For example, when contacted, Dawson Deaton – now a free agent – told Outsports that he "would have no problem at all with having a LGBTQ teammate."

"That's the dynamic we at Outsports have seen: Even people who use gay slurs are likely to accept a gay teammate," the site said.

Over a thousand old tweets from current NFL players are still active, containing homophobic language.

For more, check out the Outsports story.

For a list of players and their teams cited for using homophobic language in their social media posts, follow this link.