The 49ers’ Embarrassing Gay-Unfriendly Fumble


Remember all the excitement when the San Francisco 49ers became the first NFL team to make an “It Gets Better” video in support of bullied LGBT teens? Now the Niners are the first NFL team to have its “It Gets Better” video pulled from Dan Savage’s site.

What brought this on: In the same week that 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver said at Super Bowl media day that he “don’t do the gays, man,” and that gay players wouldn’t be welcomed in the locker room following news reports that effectively outed former Niners offensive lineman Kwame Harris, two more San Francisco players, Ahmad Brooks and Isaac Sopoaga, then denied any involvement with making the “It Gets Better” video—even after a reporter showed them the clip on an iPhone.

The 49ers issued a statement Wednesday separating the organization from Culliver’s comments. He apologized—but not before offending even more people by riffing on menstrual cycles in a since-deleted tweet. Some teammates and coaches have voiced their concerns; Seattle Seahawks punter Jon Ryan thinks the NFL should suspend Culliver.

Anyway, if you’re still on the fence about Super Bowl XLVII, here’s a helpful reminder: Brendon Ayanbadejo plays for the Ravens.

DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do journalism differently. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after stories others don’t. We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the kind of truth-telling investigations we do doesn’t happen under corporate ownership.

And we need your support like never before, to fight back against the existential threats American democracy faces. Fundraising for nonprofit media is always a challenge, and we need all hands on deck right now. We have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do journalism differently. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after stories others don’t. We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the kind of truth-telling investigations we do doesn’t happen under corporate ownership.

And we need your support like never before, to fight back against the existential threats American democracy faces. Fundraising for nonprofit media is always a challenge, and we need all hands on deck right now. We have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate