The 5-foot, 10-inch kicker knows that the prospects are slim to get on with a team this year. After graduating from MTSU, Gendreau is currently a free agent and only the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers are likely to draft a kicker this year.
“It’s totally legit that he can get into the league,” Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe who is also a gay rights advocate, told OutSports, “Place-kicking is all about doing this one specific skill set. If you can do that, you can make it whether you’ve been out of football for one year or 10 years.”
If drafted, Gendreau would be the first of any of the nation’s major professional sports to be openly gay while playing. While substantial evidence suggests that free agent footballer Kerry Rhodes is gay, he has consistently denied it. But for Gendreau, playing in the NFL would be beneficial for the host team as well as for society.
“We have seen time and time again that diversity is a benefit,” Hudson Taylor, founder and executive director of pro-tolerance nonprofit Athlete Ally, told The Huffington Post. “It’s a benefit in corporate America; it’s a benefit in schools; and it’s a benefit in sports. An athletic culture that welcomes and includes LGBT athletes will ultimately draw improved talent and create more unified and respectful team cultures.”
