The Atlanta Falcons have apologized for asking an NFL draft prospect if he was attracted to men.
Ohio State cornerback and likely first round pick Eli Apple told CSN Philly that, “The Falcons coach, one of the coaches, was like, ‘So do you like men?’ It was like the first thing he asked me. It was weird. I was just like, ‘no.’ He was like, ‘if you’re going to come to Atlanta, sometimes that’s how it is around here, you’re going to have to get used to it.’ I guess he was joking but they just ask most of these questions to see how you’re going to react.” (RELATED: He Can’t Stop Partying! Report: Johnny Manziel To Attend UFC 196)
The accusations from Apple were confirmed when head coach Dan Quinn issued an apology for the incident.
“I am really disappointed in the question that was asked by one of our coaches. I have spoken to the coach that interviewed Eli Apple and explained to him how inappropriate and unprofessional this was. I have reiterated this to the entire coaching staff and I want to apologize to Eli for this even coming up. This is not what the Atlanta Falcons are about and it is not how we are going to conduct ourselves,” the statement reads.
It is against league policy for teams to question players on their sexuality, according to a memo from the NFL.