Colorado tight end Nick Kasa catches a pass against the Stanford Cardinals. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
(CBS) – The NFL said it will investigate a claim that an unspecified team asked Colorado tight end Nick Kasa questions about his sexual orientation during an interview at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“(Teams) ask you like, ‘Do you have a girlfriend?’ ‘Are you married?’ ‘Do you like girls?’ ” Kasa said in an interview ESPN Radio in Denver. “Those kinds of things, and you know it was just kind of weird. But they would ask you with a straight face, and it’s a pretty weird experience altogether.”
As Kasa’s claim gained publicity, the NFL released the following statement:
“Like all employers, our teams are expected to follow applicable federal, state and local employment laws,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in a statement. “It is league policy to neither consider nor inquire about sexual orientation in the hiring process.
“In addition, there are specific protections in our Collective Bargaining Agreement with the players that prohibit discrimination against any player, including on the basis of sexual orientation. We will look into the report on the questioning of Nick Kasa at the Scouting Combine. Any team or employee that inquires about impermissible subjects or makes an employment decision based on such factors is subject to league discipline.”
