NFL Won't Punish Player for Antigay Tweet

It appears that the NFL will take no action against a rookie linebacker on the Cleveland Browns who tweeted an antigay slur and added, "I don't agree with being gay."

Outsports reported Thursday that Tank Carder will receive no punishment for his tweet. An NFL spokesman said the league contacted Carder, and his team made it clear that such language was unacceptable. Carder also issued a public apology.

As Outsports' Cyd Zeigler points out, the NFL has become more accepting of LGBT people and has shown decreased tolerance for antigay language or homophobia. Still, other major sports, such as professional basketball, soccer, and baseball have taken action against players for similar offenses on the field. And the NFL has punished players including Michael Vick and Ben Roethlisberger for off-field controversies.

Zeigler writes that he knows NFL administrators are not antigay, especially since he has collaborated with many of them in the past. However, he suspects that they want the whole episode to just go away.