Le’Veon Bell says he was asked questions about sexuality

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And now there are two.

Of the 330-plus players who attended the Scouting Combine, two have admitted on the record that questions were asked indirectly about sexual orientation.

First, it was Colorado tight end Nick Kasa, who was asked by at least one team, “Do you like girls?”  Now, Michigan State running back Le’Veon Bell says that questions indirectly were posed regarding sexuality.

“Yeah, yeah, there were questions just like that,” Bell told WDFN radio, via the Detroit News.  “There were definitely a couple weird questions.  I got asked so many of them, I don’t remember them all.  But that was definitely a couple questions I got asked.”

The NFL has reacted strongly to the situation.  But it remains to be seen whether actions will match words.  At a minimum, Kasa and Bell need to be questioned by the league office about the questions posed during the Scouting Combine.

To do it right, all of the players who attended the Scouting Combine should be asked about the questions they were asked.

And if the NFL determines that one or more teams crossed the line, the NFL needs to take action.  The best way to get a team’s attention is to take away draft picks.  In this specific setting, where teams are violating league policy (and in some juridictions the law) by asking questions aimed at helping the teams use their draft picks, it makes perfect sense to strip picks.

64 responses to “Le’Veon Bell says he was asked questions about sexuality

  1. I’m having trouble remembering, but wasn’t Colorado where the University got in trouble a few years back for taking recruits to strip clubs and having hired women to spend time with the recruits on campus? That could provide a different context for the question “Do you like girls?”

  2. I still don’t see why this is being over-blown into some huge ordeal. Have thicker skin! No one is calling them gay!

    And taking away draft picks for something like this seems even more over-blown.

  3. This doesn’t warrant taking away draft picks yet. But there should be warnings and punishment for future violations. If the bounty discipline didn’t hold up when player safety was involved, stripping draft picks for interview questions would be excessive. As Tagliabue reasoned, it was not clear before Goodell came down on the Saints’ program that it was against the rules to give incentives for hard hits, since there were similar programs in the past, so it would be unfair to suspend the players. Same reasoning applies to this.

  4. Are there official transcripts of these interviews kept by the teams or the league? My guess is no.

  5. Blacknole,

    What theyre doing is against the law. Prospective employers cant ask you questions regarding your sexuality

  6. players against having a gay teammate are just scared and insecure men..acting like gay men just wanna rape every man they see.If he can play football who cares if he may or may not love another man?

  7. So if they don’t get picked first overall couldn’t some attorney make a case they weren’t picked no.1 cause they where asked these questions? Seems like if this was an issue for some teams they probably could do some investigative work and stuff on their own on a perspective draft pick and not have the kid blabbing it to the press….then again if a kid did blab it to the press he’s probably not the kinda guy you want on your team since he would automatically be assumed to be one of the moles leaking stuff to the press about the workings in the clubhouse

  8. This is why Mr. Florio is the best at what he does. He’ll report and deliver great journalism no matter how dicey the topic is. You’d think I’d be mad that he frequently writes about the Redskins logo/nickname. Actually it’s quite the contrary, I admire that he’s persistent about it, granted the name will NEVER change no matter what is written or said, but still, great journalism/persistence. PFT is the best.

  9. To those that think employees have a right to know this….the NFL is big and bad but they still have to follow the law. It’s against federal law to ask questions about a potential hires sexuality.

    The taking of draft picks doesn’t necessarily mean this year’s pick and even if it’s this year’s pick that doesn’t mean the number of players hired into the league decreases. It just means there will be a few more rookie free agents that enter the league. Teams will still have to fill their rosters.

  10. As unfortunate as this is, I get the feeling that these guys are hurting their draft stock. No team is going to draft a player who blew the whistle on them.

  11. Great guideline suggestion!

    I’ve been thinking PFT could replace the word “rule” with “guideline” in all future posts to more accurately represent the nature of this unique one of a kind organization.

  12. blacknole08 says:
    Feb 28, 2013 8:07 PM

    I still don’t see why this is being over-blown into some huge ordeal. Have thicker skin! No one is calling them gay!

    And taking away draft picks for something like this seems even more over-blown.

    ————-

    Leaving that whole issue alone, the point is that just asking the question means that the answer could (will) affect that person’s chance of getting the job/drafted. It is discrimination based non-pertinent personal characteristics, pure and simple, and there is no place for it in the hiring process for any job.

  13. I pray that my skins aren’t one of the teams asking these questions. One, it is inappropriate. Two, they’re already under the PC target just for their name. Three, we already have no draft picks lol

  14. blacknole08 says:
    Feb 28, 2013 8:07 PM
    I still don’t see why this is being over-blown into some huge ordeal. Have thicker skin! No one is calling them gay!

    And taking away draft picks for something like this seems even more over-blown.

    -———————

    It’s not about thick skin. It’s an inappropriate question that has no bearing whether or not the person can do the job asked of them. Your employer isn’t even allowed to ask you how old you are only whether you’re 18 or not. This is actually a big deal because by asking the question they are making sexuality a job requirement which is illegal.

  15. So when I’m hiring someone for a laborer position I shouldn’t know that type of thing just as a heads up? Why hide it. It’s always worse getting caught than just getting ahead of it

  16. Next time anyone here is interviewing a potential new employee ask that same question and see how fast you’re sued. Just because the money is big does not mean you’re not protected by the same laws that protect other employees the NFL is still a business

  17. When the Saints bounty crap hit the fan, half of the people who posted were saying “that’s just karma! They did it to themselves!”

    I’m cool with that, but I would like those same people come back and post that about Goodell.

    Wait, I just did.

  18. I’m willing to bet most of the people asking these questions have had no HR training. These are essentially job interviews. I’ve served on multiple hiring committees at my job and we are retrained every year on things we aren’t allowed to ask directly or indirectly. I imagine the NFL will “investigate” and then initiate training before next year’s combine.

  19. Since when did the NFL start caring if it’s organization worked under the same HR laws everyone else follows? Just a small list below:

    Being late to a meeting at work and have 1-3% of your pay docked right away.

    I don’t know anyone that’s killed a person while driving drunk, get convicted, serve a pointless suspension and go back to the office it’s like nothing.

    Bring a gun or drugs to an airport and still keep your job.

    Fail a drug test and stay employed.

    Just quit during an assigned task(Randy Moss) and still keep your job.

    Not following mandatory rules described in your job employee agreement(Randy Moss Media duties)and keep your job

    Discriminating against better performing employees, by over paying under-performing ones. (Just say name a QB from Notre Dame)

    Asking if your mom was a hooker during a job interview

    So until those things are covered I don’t think asking a guy, if he’s gay is that big of a deal.

  20. Isnt it obvious that teams are asking this question to a variety of players so that when Teo is interviewed they can just ask him and not catch flack.

  21. I really hope they didnt ask them their favorite color too cause that would just put this over the top.

  22. Let’s hope none of these teams are in the states that prohibit orientation-based discrimination.

    These two players are gonna be under a lot of pressure from both sides. One to openly name the questioners. The other to pretend like they forgot which team asked in the flurry of questioning.

  23. Why did I just flash on Leslie Neilson in Airplane going, “So, Billy, have you ever seen a grown man naked?”

    “Do you like gladiator movies?”

  24. I will agree to take away draft picks if, and only if, the Seahawks weren’t the team that asked the alleged illegal questions about sexual preference. If it was Seattle, I think a strong reprimand is in order……………Okay, I might be biased; along with a reprimand the Hawks will not be allowed to draft the players asked the questions. That will protect those players from being put into a hostile work environment.

    Seriously, hope the league gets on this quickly and let the facts determine what, if anything needs to be done.

  25. This is America. America has laws. Not asking this question in an interview is one of them. This isn’t ‘Nam.

  26. mendenhallfumblemachine February 28, 2013, 8:41 PM EST

    Honestly who cares, i dont care if they are gay and i dont care if they ask, enough of this please.
    ——————————
    And last time I checked, the world doesnt revolve around you. What, was Florio supposed to get your approval what topics he can post on??

  27. You gotta wonder if there is going to be any backlash for these players. Certainly they will not be drafted by whatever team/s they rat on.

  28. Is there a chance the teams are trying to throw them off by asking a weird question to see how they respond to something a little stressful? I don’t think its right that they do it (and it probably illegal) but I can see some logic to it I think.

  29. Ummm this is entry into an exclusive club not applying at Carl’s Jr. Who cares what they ask… They can choose not to answer. It’s not like their are guns on them. Besides they need weird questions because all the athletes are so prepared for the interview they need to be caught off guard. And as someone else said taking away picks is taking away opportunity. Why does anyone care if an NFL asks about being gay.

  30. Taking draft picks this year seems harsh as this probably a practice, though an idiotic one that has happened for years.

    NFL should handle it like they did with videotaping signals. Send out a memo saying we know teams have been doing this, everyone needs to stop.

    If it happens again next years, then bring the hammer down like you did on the Pats.

  31. The league freaks out if someone asks a potential draftee if he likes girls–then insists on players wearing pink accessories during games for a month and fines them if their socks are too high or too low.

    This used to be the National Football League. What the heck happened?

  32. If a player is anti-gay, should he be able to ask about the coach or GM’s sexuality? Helloooo!

  33. Off topic a little but I wonder if teams look at guys who talk to the media about this, maybe thinking they were speaking under confidentiality , and decide not to take them not necessarily because it was about the suddenly taboo “gay” topic but as a look into how they would handle future sensitive topics and could be a risk running their mouths and releasing sensitive info, or saying something to draw an unwanted media circus.

  34. Steroids,gay,lockouts. Congrats to all four major sports for destroying any fans interests to go to sporting events. Keep it up and maybe one year the whole country will just stay home and watch sports on TV!!

  35. The real and continuing story of the draft procees is how bad most teams are at it. Fans are equally absorbed by trying to determine who is going to lift up their team by following mock drafts etc. Asking illegal and stupid questions of prospects points out the ineptitude by the team or employee of the team. Taking draft picks ultimately punishes the fan base and is an over reaction. Warn and reprimand in writing then if it continues yank a pick. The team will probably waste it anyway.

  36. “scouts”/nfl excecutives cant ask about sexual orientation or marital status, unless the individual brings it up him or herself. that is a violation of the law.

  37. All of these people complaining, saying things like “What’s the big deal!! Team are giving these guys a bunch of money!” are neglecting one thing: It is ILLEGAL for employers to ask that question.

    The sad thing about this is is that there’s a good chance Kasa and Bell will be blacklisted for talking about it.

  38. While “Prospective employers cant ask you questions regarding your sexuality”, they also aren’t allowed to break Federal law by colluding with others. How’s that working out for the NFLPA?

  39. With all the violence against women issues players have had in the past, it’s understandable to ask players if they like women. You certainly don’t want player on your team who hates women. That’s just a problem looking for a place to happen.

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