DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) – Washington lobbyist and talk radio host Jack Burkman doesn’t want to ban gay athletes from the NFL — he just wants to make sure they’re properly separated.
Burkman, speaking on New School on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Wednesday, says his bill will be released to the public before 6:00 p.m. ET.
According to Burkman, the bill will mandate that teams provide separate facilities for gay and straight men in situations where nudity is involved.
“A lot of people say it’s about discrimination or homophobia, it’s not about any of those things,” said Burkman. “We have basic standards of civility and common decency in our society. For instance, you don’t have the cheerleaders go in and take a shower with the football players because we believe men and women should be separate, for reasons that they’re sexual attracted to each other and other reasons we all understand.”
“If you separate men and women, doesn’t it make sense that you would separate a gay man and a straight man?”
The bill will look to impose harsh criminal penalties and severe fines for each violation — not less than $3 million and not more than $8 million per violation.
“That’s not discrimination against the straight man or the gay man, that’s simply common decency in the same way you would separate a man and a woman.”
Burkman believes that the majority of Americans, though silent, agree in principle with his point. He also reiterated that his stance is not an attempt to impose his religious beliefs on society.
Burkman has invited Missouri defensive end and NFL Draft hopeful Michael Sam to join him on his show — an invitation that Sam has repeatedly denied.
“He’s afraid to confront me. He’s afraid to come on 1-on-1.”
Jack Burkman is going to need a Delorian, not some bogus bill, if he wants to prevent gay athletes from being in the locker room—
Michael Sam (@MikeSamFootball) February 25, 2014
In fact, the real issue for Sam isn’t gay versus straight — it’s simply Sam trying to improve his draft positioning, according to Burkman.
“What Michael Sam cares about is, if he doesn’t get drafted properly or doesn’t get the contract he wants, he’s going to cry discrimination,” said Burkman. “He’s going to have Ellen and George Clooney and Michelle Obama — they’re all going to say ‘we have to fight this team!’”
He also believes that NFL players and teams are afraid to speak their minds on the issue, fearing retribution from the “left of center”media.
The bill will be released on Wednesday, but does it have any chance of actually becoming law?
“Tactically, legislatively — I think we’re going to win, and I think we’re going to win it big.”
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