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NFL Legend Blasts League For Pride Month Post

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Dez Bryant
Photo Credit: Photo Credit: Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

As Pride Month kicked off, former NFL star Dez Bryant became one of the few prominent voices from professional football to push back against the league’s LGBTQ+ messaging.

Bryant, who played eight seasons with the Dallas Cowboys before retiring from the league in 2020, reacted to a Pride-themed NFL advertisement by reposting the video alongside his own commentary.

The ad, which uses declarative phrases such as “Football is gay,” “Football is queer,” and “Football is transgender,” appeared to cross a line for Bryant.

“These are wild statements to make,” he said. “Excuse my silliness.”

The former Pro Bowl receiver didn’t mince words as he clarified his stance on what the sport represents to him and what message he wants to send to his children.

“I’m going to proudly tell my boys football is none of these things,” he wrote. “I have nothing against Gays but this is far from right.”

Bryant’s comments didn’t sit well with many on the left, who quickly denounced his remarks. In response to the backlash, Bryant suggested that representation in the league does not mean it should be imposed on everyone, particularly children.

“It’s gay players in the NFL..but forcing it in people’s faces..especially children..can send the wrong message,” he explained.

“Football is a real community, like the gay community. Imagine telling gays they have to advocate for straight people..they probably would have a problem.”

The backlash seemed only to deepen Bryant’s frustration with what he saw as performative activism online.

“I hate social media at times because people post fake positive things all the time and get bothered whenever folks have a real conversation,” he said in a follow-up post. “I bet the goofy fake woke people have the most skeletons in their closet.”

While Bryant faced criticism for his stance, he wasn’t the only one raising questions about the direction of Pride Month marketing campaigns in professional sports.

Over in the WNBA, the Indiana Fever came under fire after a Pride Month post that featured the transgender flag and promoted an upcoming event on June 3rd.

Though the team’s post aligned with the WNBA’s broader branding efforts, the response online was far from universally supportive.

“I’ll just pretend I didn’t see this post and continue being a Fever Fan,” one person commented.

Another questioned whether the marketing team understood its audience. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see the stadium half-empty. It’s like they don’t know who makes up the majority of the fan base,” the user wrote.

In contrast to the WNBA and NFL’s visible Pride campaigns, NASCAR took a more subdued approach this year.

Despite hosting a major Cup Series race in Nashville on the first day of June, the motorsports organization made no social media mention of Pride Month, breaking from its recent pattern.

In 2024, NASCAR had posted in support of LGBTQ+ inclusivity, a move that many longtime fans did not welcome.

That tension was captured in a sarcastic reply to one of last year’s tweets. “There it is…….the post that makes a million people ‘quit’ NASCAR every year for about 2 hours but will still follow every weekend,” one fan wrote.

“NASCAR has been destroying itself for 20yrs and soon to fade into the history books…” another added.

This year, while the organization released Pride-themed merchandise, its official accounts remained silent.

“No Pride post from @NASCAR this year, huh?” one user noted. Another added, “Not one post from NASCAR promoting Pride Month. Ten NFL teams followed suit and, as of Monday, they have yet to make a single reference to June Pride month. These two outfits were all in on it since 2020.”

According to circulating reports, twelve NFL franchises opted not to publish Pride-related messaging this year.


Among those reportedly silent on the issue were the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Dallas Cowboys, which is Bryant’s former team.

In contrast to some sports leagues scaling back visibility, the long-running PBS show “Sesame Street” once again marked the month with a message of inclusion aimed at its young viewers.

“On our street, everyone is welcome. Together, let’s build a world where every person and family feels loved and respected for who they are. Happy #PrideMonth!” the show’s official X account posted, along with a photo of its puppet characters forming a rainbow with their hands.

The show’s annual Pride message comes even as the Trump administration pushes to defund public broadcasting entirely.

PBS and NPR recently filed a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order to eliminate their federal funding, an effort House Democrats quickly criticized.

In their view, the move “threatens beloved PBS KIDS children’s programming like Sesame Street and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.”

In light of the possible funding cut, Netflix reportedly struck a deal to stream “Sesame Street,” potentially giving the program a new home beyond traditional public television.

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