After stating earlier in the week that gay football players "gotta get up outta here," San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver released a statement Wednesday night insisting "those discriminating feelings are truly not in my heart."
While it's fair to wonder if the latter sentiment was prompted by Culliver's publicist, the second-year cornerback is at least taking a proactive approach to assisting the community he offended. Culliver will undergo sensitivity training and then work with "The Trevor Project" in the weeks after Super Bowl XLVII, reported the San Jose Mercury News, to learn more about suicide prevention among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth.
"We really feel that education about LGBT youth and the challenges they face is a great way to get (Chris) started on the right path," said Lauren McGinnis, communications director for The Trevor Project, "especially since he's a role model."
Among those counseling Culliver is his cousin, Andrew Brown, a director of the documentary "Word Is Out" about the experiences of gays and lesbians. "Brown has come forward in support of Chris and his efforts to educate himself about the true impact of his commentary," according to a press release from "The Trevor Project."
UPDATE: Culliver's publicist Theodore Palmer told The Associated Press that the cornerback is excited to be working with "The Trevor Project." "It's just an opportunity for him to learn about his comments and educate himself about the LGBT community, and grow," Palmer said. "It's the first step in learning about his words."
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.
