![\"Aaron](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.towleroad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/rodgers.jpg?resize=722%2C572\")
<\/a><\/p>\nIn a wide-ranging interview with ESPN<\/a>, Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers talked about Ryan O\u2019Callaghan, the retired lineman who recently came out as gay<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rodgers said that players still have fear about the consequences of coming out while active<\/a>:<\/p>\n We talk about his friend and former Cal teammate, recently retired Patriots and Chiefs lineman Ryan O\u2019Callaghan, who came out as gay<\/a> in June. In an interview on OutSports.com<\/a>, O\u2019Callaghan described how he feared coming out, even contemplating suicide for years. \u201cI\u2019m incredibly proud of him,\u201d Rodgers says. \u201cI know he had a lot of fear about it, and how he would be accepted, and how people would change around him. I think society is finally moving in the right direction, as far as treating all people with respect and love and acceptance and appreciation. And the locker room, I think the sport is getting closer.\u201d<\/p>\n He adds that players like O\u2019Callaghan worry about retribution not only from their teammates but also from executives, again pointing to the absence of guaranteed contracts. \u201cThere\u2019s a fear of job security,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you have a differing opinion, differing sexual orientation, they can get rid of you. So is it better just to be quiet and not ever say anything? And not risk getting cut, with people saying: \u2018Well, it\u2019s because you can\u2019t play\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n In 2016, Rodgers blasted homophobic fan chants at games<\/a>, saying \u201cI don\u2019t agree with any type of racist or homophobic language, any of that type of stuff from the crowd to the people on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n Back in 2013, Rodgers\u00a0chose to address rumors<\/a>\u00a0that he had been in a romantic relationship with his former assistant and roommate\u00a0Kevin Lanflisi.\u00a0Lanflisi and Rodgers met when\u00a0Lanflisi was an intern for the Packers. Said Rodgers at the time, \u201cI\u2019m not gay<\/a>. I really, really like women<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Aaron Rodgers photo by Mike Morbeck <\/a>is licensed<\/a> under\u00a0(CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n The post Aaron Rodgers Says Gay Players Still Fear NFL Execs: \u2018Is it Better Just to Be Quiet and Not Ever Say Anything?\u2019<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\nRELATED:\u00a0Tattoo Artist Sparks Homophobic Firestorm with Aaron Rodgers Jock Strap Masterpiece<\/a><\/em><\/h2>\n