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Canadian Football League players fined for anti-gay tweets about Michael Sam

Canadian Football League players fined for anti-gay tweets about Michael Sam

MONTREAL — The Canadian Football League fined two players Tuesday for making inappropriate comments about openly gay NFL prospect Michael Sam.

Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Arland Bruce and Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive tackle Bryant Turner Jr. were penalized undisclosed amounts on Tuesday for postings on social media.

Arland Bruce (left) and Bryant Turner Jr.
Arland Bruce (left) and Bryant Turner Jr.

Bruce’s twitter posting, in which he misspelled the word gay, asked Sam if he was scared to touch women and added “you gaey man up and do some MFN pushups and get on your knees and submit to God fully.”

Turner’s tweet reportedly said: “Michael Sam locker room gonna come with complimentary robes.”

“The comments made by these players are extremely disappointing and do not represent the CFL’s views or the views of the vast majority of our players,” CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon said in a statement. “The CFL is supportive of openly gay athletes in professional sports and we commend the courage shown by Michael Sam.”

The 36-year-old Bruce is a three-time CFL all-star and two-time Grey Cup champion who appeared in two NFL games with San Francisco in 2003. He and Turner both played college football in the United States, Bruce at Minnesota and Turner at Alabama-Birmingham.

Turner apologized in a series of tweets, calling his post “inappropriate and insensitive.” The Bombers said team President Wade Miller and general manager Kyle Walters have spoken to Turner.

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“It is unfortunate that Bryant made this comment through social media,” it said. “Any athlete with the ability and determination has the right to succeed in their sport.”

The Alouettes denounced “the regrettable comments” by Bruce.

“Our organization supports all types of diversity. Every individual is unique and free to make his or her own choices,” said Jim Popp, the Alouettes’ general manager and coach. He said no decision had been made on whether Bruce will remain with the team.

“As an organization, we’ll discuss the matter thoroughly and decide what to do next,” he said.

Also Tuesday, a wrestler at Kent State University was suspended indefinitely for a series of anti-gay tweets, including referring to Sam as “that fag.”

Associated Press contributed to this report.
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