Michel Young believes baseball is ready for an openly gay player. While appearing on ESPN 103.3 in Dallas, Young said he believes he has had a gay teammate in the past.
Michael Sam may be the first openly gay player in the NFL, but Young says there have been those who have played before.
” I guarantee you I’ve had a gay teammate. This may be the first openly gay player in the NFL, but clearly we know there have been tons in every sport — male, female, there have been tons in every sport.”
“We just don’t know about them or who they are. They’re out there right now. They’re out there in the NBA, in the NHL, in the big leagues and in the NFL. Hopefully players are just comfortable being themselves.”
Young spent 14 seasons in the majors, with the majority of his career being spent with the Texas Rangers. He believes it all comes down to one thing.
“For me, it comes down to, ‘Can this guy help us win? Is he a winning piece? Can he execute on the field and be a good teammate in the locker room?’ I’d like to think it wouldn’t be an issue at all, and all the teams I played on, I know it definitely wouldn’t have been an issue.”
