NFL Team to Draftee: Straight or Gay?

New Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins says that during last month's NFL draft, one pro football team asked him whether he was straight or gay.

Atkins talked with the Associated Press about the incident, but he did not identify the team that asked the question.

"The only unusual question I got was if I was straight or gay," said Atkins. "And that was about it."

Gay sports blog Outsports suggests the exchange reflects a broader practice of asking players about their sexual orientation:

"Unfortunately, he didn't say what his answer was. Either way, you have to assume it's not just one team asking, or that Atkins was the only one asked."

News of the sexual orientation interrogation follows other reports about NFL draft questions that push the boundaries of what's appropriate. Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland asked wide receiver Dez Bryant whether his mother, who is a lesbian, was ever a prostitute.