COLUMN: On gay players, league will have to change without litigation that forces it

This week’s flurry of reports regarding quiet curiosity and not-so-quiet interrogation of incoming NFL players on the issue of sexuality represents an obvious symptom of a deeper problem. Football teams, which notoriously fear the unknown in any shape or form, at best want to know whether there’s a chance that their locker room will be the first one to host an openly gay player. At worst, one or more football teams possibly don’t want any gay players in the building, openly or closeted.