Barry Sanders: Gay NFL players would need thick skin

Barry Sanders: Gay NFL players would need thick skin

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Source: TMZ.com Source: TMZ.com

By FOX 2 News Staff

NEW ORLEANS (WJBK) -- Former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders says you'll get made fun of for anything in an NFL locker room, and being gay would be no exception.

Sanders was interviewed Thursday by a TMZ photographer in New Orleans. In a video clip posted Friday, Sanders is asked if a gay player would cause an issue in an NFL locker room. "I doubt it," said the Lions all-time leading rusher. "If somebody comes out they're going to get teased. They got to have thick skin and go on about their life."

Sanders added, "In a locker room, you get teased for anything."

The issue of gay players in the NFL became a hot button topic on sports talk shows earlier this week when San Francisco cornerback Chris Culliver said he wouldn't welcome a gay player on his team.

Culliver apologized Thursday, maintaining that what he said during an interview with comedian Artie Lange during Super Bowl media day were not his true beliefs.

"That's not what I feel in my heart," the defensive back said.

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