49ers' Culliver sorry for anti-gay comments

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver talks with teammates during a media availability Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, in New Orleans. The 49ers said Wednesday they have addressed anti-gay remarks made by Culliver during a Super Bowl media day interview Tuesday. The 49ers are scheduled to play the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game on Feb. 3. / AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

NEW ORLEANS San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver apologized Wednesday night for anti-gay remarks he made during a Super Bowl media day interview a day earlier.

"The derogatory comments I made yesterday were a reflection of thoughts in my head, but they are not how I feel," he said in a statement released by the team. "It has taken me seeing them in print to realize that they are hurtful and ugly. Those discriminating feelings are truly not in my heart. Further, I apologize to those who I have hurt and offended, and I pledge to learn and grow from this experience."

The 49ers said earlier Wednesday they had addressed the comments, but didn't elaborate on whether the second-year player would face disciplinary action or a fine.

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During an interview Tuesday at the Superdome, Culliver responded to questions from comedian Artie Lange by saying he wouldn't welcome a gay player in the locker room. He also said the 49ers didn't have any homosexual players and, if they did, those players should leave.

"The San Francisco 49ers reject the comments that were made yesterday, and have addressed the matter with Chris," the team said. "There is no place for discrimination within our organization at any level. We have and always will proudly support the LGBT community."

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Culliver planned to formally address his remarks during a news conference during the 49ers' media availability Thursday morning, according to his personal public relations representative, Theodore Palmer.

The interview Tuesday began with Lange asking Culliver about his sexual plans with women during Super Bowl week. Lange followed up with a question about whether Culliver would consider pursuing a gay man.

"I don't do the gay guys, man. I don't do that," Culliver said during the 1-minute taped interview. "Ain't got no gay people on the team. They gotta get up outta here if they do. Can't be with that sweet stuff."

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Lange asked Culliver to reiterate his thoughts, to which the player said, "It's true." He added he wouldn't welcome a gay teammate — no matter how talented.

"Nah. Can't be ... in the locker room, nah," he said. "You've gotta come out 10 years later after that."

The 24-year-old Culliver, a third-round draft pick in 2011 out of South Carolina, made 47 tackles with two interceptions and a forced fumble this season while starting six games for the NFC champion Niners (13-4-1).

He had his first career postseason interception in San Francisco's 28-24 win at Atlanta for the NFC title.

The 49ers participate in the NFL's "It Gets Better" anti-bullying campaign. The city of San Francisco and progressive, open-minded Bay Area are home to a large gay community.

Three organizations working for LGBT inclusion in sports — Athlete Ally, You Can Play, and GLAAD — reacted to Culliver's remarks and later acknowledged his apology.

"Chris Culliver's comments were disrespectful, discriminatory and dangerous, particularly for the young people who look up to him," said Athlete Ally Executive Director Hudson Taylor. "His words underscore the importance of the athlete ally movement and the key role that professional athletes play in shaping an athletic climate that affirms and includes gay and lesbian players. Culliver's current views are as marginal as they are misguided. We're seeing more and more NFL players take a stand against homophobia in sports through our advocacy and we know that support at this level is only going to grow. It is becoming clear that discrimination is on the fringe and has absolutely no place in sports."

[lloydbest1]

""The derogatory comments I made yesterday were a reflection of thoughts in my head, but they are not how I feel,""
I have to take exception to that remark. The thoughts that go through anyone's head are mirrors of how they feel and are inseparable. Whether we believe your apology is sincere is entirely contingent on how you behave and what you say going forward. None of us are going to know for quite some time.
Note, I'm not saying change your feelings, They have no value in and of themselves. The value comes from how you process them and the ways you deal with them. Based on your remarks you didn't do as good a job at that as you could have and people will assume you are homophobic and will accuse you of same if they haven't already done so.
However you "feel" about the subject, know that homosexuality is morally neutral. By itself it is neither wrong nor right - it just is. Your visceral reaction to homosexuality is also neither wrong nor right. How you deal with those visceral responses tells your audience lots about your character. It ain't looking too good right now.
Turning a negative visceral response into a moral crusade as some have done or a disrespectful screed as you have done IS wrong. In the former case it is intellectual dishonesty and moral cowardice. In your case it displays prejudice mixed with bigotry and if there is anything a young man in your position does not need, it being labeled as prejudiced or bigoted....

[murphy0071]

Chris Culliver, no matter what he says, hates homosexuals and other sexual minorities with a vehement passion. He is an out and out liar who is only interested in keeping his pay check. Regardless of his meaningless and fake statements, he should be fired for being an out and out bigot who is spreading his false values to sports fans, particularly youth. He has clearly violated his contract by his first statements which are his real feelings which will never change.

[Gecko5]

I think people are making way to much of this. Culliver is 24. Yes I know he is legally an adult but think about it, he was most likely coddled in High School, Definetly coddled at Carolina and now he is watched over by the NFL. He is a kid in a mans body and he is ging to say stupid things especially when asked stupid questions by reporters.

Here is a novel idea, how about interviewers asking intelligent questions and then maybe these kids will start providing reasonably intelligent answers.

[Gecko5]

Apparantly they are also over the heads of most sports reporters as well.

[TheAmericanGuy]

MAC-011 - Just because you say Joe is "absolutely correct" doesn't make it so. True that many people believe the way this overpaid game player believes, but it doesn't make it correct. Society continues to evolve. Acceptance of gay people, then gay parents, now gay marriage shows that fewer and fewer people believe the way you do. Every poll, even from Fox News and other conservative outlets show that the younger the person, the more supportive they are of gay people, parents, and marriage. So, bang your drums and spout your hate - the one thing you can't change is you are slowly getting closer to your opinion not counting. Long live the younger generation.

[veronafoamer]

when did it become illegal to not endorse gaydom.If that's his stance,so be it.Shouldn't we be "tolerant" of his view point or "inclusive" of people that we don't agree with?

[greennnnnn-2009]

He didn't just "not endorse 'gaydom'" (whatever THAT means). He said nasty things. Big difference. And, "we should be inclusive of people that we don't agree with"?? Then, why not be inclusive of gays? You're a walking contradiction, dude. Or chick.

[Gecko5]

Who said anything about illegal VeronaFoamer? This guy is well within his rights to believe and say whatever he wants but his employer also has rights to expect their employees, especially those out in the public eye, to act and speak a certain way when representing the organization.

[JoeKirkup]

Anytime a society is forced to accept as truth something they know is false it will be a constant source of irritation and conflict. In men at least, homosexuality is a genetic aberration affecting one of humanities three basic instincts. Pop culture dictates it should be accepted as normal when logic and common sense say otherwise. Birth defects are sometimes fatal and often tragic, but they are never "normal." In the natural world, having creatures of any kind genetically "programmed" to be sexually attracted to the same gender is non-survivable for the species. It's very sad for the individual like congenital blindness or other afflictions of similar magnitude, but trying to pass it off as simply a "sexual preference" rather than an unfortunate condition to be dealt with compassionately will only lead to more and more conflict. When will we ever learn?

[tepeterso]

Excuse me but we have here another distortion of the mechanisms of nature and evolution. Homosexuality is not an aberration of nature but a variation in nature which is the mechanism of natural selection. There has always been and always be a percentage of many species wherein homosexuality and bisexuality are a "natural" variant charactreristic. You need to re-take your science classes. You implication that homsexuality is defect that should be pitied is back door homophobia and just as intolerant.

[Mac-011]

Joe, well said and absolutely correct. Homosexuals and fools will disagree with you, but many will agree with you. Homosexuality is abnormal and an abomination. That will never change despite those who try to pretty up sodomy with words like "gay" "born that way," "10 percent of the population," and other lies that have long been proven to be entirely false.

[democracy8]

I think his comments were foolish, but what I really don't get is the question "about his sexual plans with women during Super Bowl week". Comedian or not, Lange was an idiot to ask that to begin with.

[micmac666]

For those who don't realize it, Lange is a Howard Stern sidekick. For those who don't know Stern, his M.O. is to sensationalize, no matter how tasteless or politically incorrect. Expect no less or more. Culliver should have blown him off, pun intended.

[kendb1331]

A gay person in the locker room would be like a kid in a candy store! :)

[greennnnnn-2009]

Why, Kendb1331? Do you believe that a gay man wants each and every dude he ever lays his eyes on? Man, how ignorant you are. Do you want every single opposite sex person you lay YOUR eyes on? I rest my case. Tool.

[Bleddyn71]

So much for free speech and its nice to see the quality of trained monkeys use in professional sports hasn't dropped.

[tepeterso]

We are or hopefully are taught that freedom of speech does not include yelling fire in a crowed theater. There are social and situational restrictions on free speech. We even have actual laws against slander, but even if it does not fit within the bounds of illegal slander, incitement to do harm or even unintentional comments that do harm can be restricted by the disapproval of an employer or a society evolving into one that knows better.

[DWileyOne]

I strongly recommend that they get Culliver a CAT scan soon ... because it's obvious that he is suffering dain bramage as the result of repeated impact to his noggin on the football field. What a maroon.