In an interview last month, Gasquet was asked some questions that had absolutely nothing to do with him being gay. Not that it didn't inspired him to defend himself anyway.

Q. Now your matches are finished. Do you still have any plan to go around the city maybe with your uncle or your girlfriend?
RICHARD GASQUET: My uncle? No. My girlfriend, no. I have no girlfriend, so I will try to find one, one Chinese girl. Why not? Why not? I lost 6-1, 6-1. It will be very hard for me tonight. I'm ready to lose, you know.

Q. Who is the girl watching your match with your uncle?
RICHARD GASQUET: Not my girl. I don't know. Not my girl, for sure. No, no, no, I have just friends. Men friends, but I'm not gay.

So, you know, if you're up for a Richard Gasquet denial of gaydom, just walk up to him on the street and say hi. He'll be happy to oblige.

Richard Gasquet, Still Not Gay [OutSports]
Richard Gasquet Is Your Not-Gay Semifinalist [Deadspin]

So much so that he's hosting a Big Gay Fan night in London this March.

Cohen, 29, who helped England win rugby's World Cup in 2003, told Outsports through his representative about his plans. "Ben is currently in the middle of his testimonial year celebrating the last 10 years of his rugby career. He understands that a high proportion of his fans are gay and to thank them for their constant loyalty through good and bad times he is planning a gay night celebration in London in March. Full details will be announced later this year."

Cohen, who is married and whose wife is expecting twins, is wrapping up a historic career for England and clearly is reaching out (around?) to his most devoted fans. Wonder if Kordell will show up.

Ben Cohen Loves His Gay Fans [OutSports]
Sebastien Gacond Is Not A Gay Man, Nope [Deadspin]

According to Ragland's account, some UK players in the early 1960s became involved with two gay men who had moved to Lexington around 1959. The two men were luring players to their Lakewood Drive residence with offers of free food, alcohol and parties even before Bradshaw became coach, the book says. Eventually, according to Ragland, some players submitted to gay oral sex in exchange for money, receiving $200 or more for each act. At some point, Ragland writes, movie star Rock Hudson became involved through his friendship with one of the party hosts. (Hudson died of complications from AIDS in 1985.)

Man, the early '60s Wildcats locker room must have been like Caligula. We need someone to guide us through this morass. Kige?

The Dirty Thirty? [Kentucky.com]

The great folks at Post Secret — via Burnt Orange Nation — have dug up this little mailing, which features a sad, scorned lover of an Oklahoma football player lamenting the need for their union to remain a secret. Oklahoma last won a national championship in 2000, which theoretically narrows it down to this team.

Our fingers are crossed for Rocky Calmus.

Let Me Tell You A Secret: OU Sucks [Burnt Orange Nation]
2000 Oklahoma Sooners [SoonerSports]
Post Secret

Wednesday night, the fine gent at With Leather attended a reading by big gay author John Amaechi, and, as it turns out, they all ended up out drinking afterwards. (Inevitable!) They ended up at prominent New York City media snob hangout Soho House — of course — and the question you're all wondering about was raised.

Is Amaechi a top or a bottom? Seems a bit of a personal question to ask of a celebrity I don't really know, and I struggled with a way to pose the question. Well, Billy and John and I had a nightcap at Soho House, a ritzy Meatpacking District club where you have to be a member or be with a member in order to get in (I fall into the latter category). While Billy spoke with an acquaintance, I asked John, "How'd you come up with 'Man in the Middle'? Shouldn't it be 'Man on Top' or 'Man on Bottom'?" Alas, he didn't take the bait, and I was left with a mundane explanation of the position of center, and not intimate details of his sex life. Sorry. I said I was bad at journalism.

You know, we admire Amaechi, sure, we guess, but he really needs a better sense of humor about this stuff. In an interview with NPR, the questioner asked him, tongue-in-cheek, about a Deadspin comment that said, "you had to know Amaechi was gay; he showed up at a press conference wearing a beret." Amaechi got all offended, saying that — FOR THE LAST TIME, PEOPLE! — you can't tell if a guy is gay or not by whether he's wearing a beret. John, seriously: We like you, we do, but you wrote a whole book about being gay. You can probably handle a line about berets, or take a question about "Man On Top" without a lengthy and condescending discussion of the center position, right? Lighten up, man: We're on your side.

A Night Out With John Amaechi [With Leather]
Book Tells Of Life In The NBA For A Gay Player [NPR]

OK, so here's what we want to happen today: Every half hour, we want someone to call Tim Hardaway to ask him about his comments about hating gay people. You can ask him the same question every time, every half hour. It'll be great, because he'll find a way to dig himself an even deeper hole each time. This is from a television interview last night, in which he responds to the question of what he would do if he had a family member who was gay.

Seriously, every half hour. By the end of the day, he'll be like, "Listen, I'm just saying that gay people should be ground into deli meat and fed to wolverines. You know, that's just what I believe."

"You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States.''

When you listen to the whole interview, what's most amusing is just how flippant Hardaway is about it; he's just matter-of-fact about the whole thing. "Hey, I hate gay people ... who doesn't, right? Who's with me?" Considering the statements — which are so over the top that it's almost hard to be offended by them; it's like getting angry at a dog for not being able to juggle — it's pretty clear that Hardaway's future as a television commentator is over, and that David Stern is going to have him killed.

But our favorite part of this story is Hardaway's "apology."

"There are more important things to worry about than my comments. We should be more concerned about President (George) Bush and all the people dying in Iraq."

Well, jeez, Tim, when you put it that way ... you're absolutely right!

Tim Hardaway Interview [790 The Ticket]
Hardaway Makes Anti-Gay Comments On Radio [Miami Herald]
Ex-Heat Star: "I Hate Gay People [Local10]

The book, being published on February 20 through ESPN Books (which means you're going to be hearing about it non-stop for a week, and then you'll never think about it again), is available for pre-order on Amazon and is called, amusingly, "Man In The Middle." (ESPN Books, when we called then — see, we call people! We're reporters! — neither confirmed nor denied that Amaechi was the player.)

As far as athletes go, Amaechi — a former Academic All-American who was once traded for Glen Rice — isn't the most breathtaking name, but if he's the guy, he's sure to have some fun tales to tell from the road. From all accounts, Amaechi is a classy, intelligent fellow. He also has a cool accent.

But anyway: Yeah. This is what you're gonna see on ESPN every day for the next couple of weeks starting on Valentine's Day. Synergy, baby.

An NBA Player Is About To Come Out Of The Closet [Sun-Times Blogs]
"Man In The Middle" [Amazon]
John Amaechi [Official Site]

(UPDATE: OutSports has seen the Amaechi book and has a full report.)

In an exclusive interview, MediaTakeOut.com spoke with a friend of the family who claims the player "came out" during a recent trip home. According to our source, "when [the player] came out of the closet, everyone was shocked ... we would always see pictures of him with models. No one suspected that he was into men."

And what's more shocking, tells our source, is that the NBA player has entered into a romantic relationship with one of his childhood friends. The tipster explains, "the two boys were friends since childhood ... when [the player] went to the NBA, he brought along [the friend] as a personal assistant." The tipster added, "I don't know how to feel, I love them both but something doesn't seem right about them being together like that."

The "clues" the site gives include that the player usually dates Caucasian women and that he is "also known for enjoying the night life with his teammates and good friend Tyson Beckford."

So you know, this story is as unsubstantiated as stories go and should be absorbed for entertainment purposes only. Are you not entertained? Because we are. Wee!

NBA Player Comes Out Of The Closet [Media Take Out]

You are football players. You are MEN.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms had such a bond with receivers coach Kyle (son of Mike) Shanahan, with whom he played at the University of Texas. In fact ... they really have a bond.

Chris Simms and Kyle Shanahan became such good friends at the University of Texas that they have their initials tattooed on each other's lower leg. ... Both players remember when they went with three other close friends and UT teammates — tight end Bo Scaife, defensive back Rod Babers and receiver Montrell Flowers — to get their tattoos. "Kyle was a real wimp about it," Simms said

That's right: They have each other's initials tattooed on each other's lower leg. We're really not sure how to handle this information.

UT Friendship Leaves Mark On Simms, Shanahan [Houston Chronicle]

Three quick thoughts to wrap up. First, the concept of sportswriters hulking up for physical confrontation in the locker room got us thinking of the late, great Will McDonough, the Boston Globe reporter famous for throwing elbows and doing whatever necessary to get the story while the Mariottis of the world were getting mani/pedis. McDonough's most famous incident involved New England Patriot Raymond Clayborn, who he punched in a locker room in 1979. McDonough said at the time: "I said that if any guy pushes me to the point, then something is going to happen. It's just unfortunate for [Clayborn] that he did it." You know what? That's pretty badass. We miss Will.

Second, we hate to be the PC police, but we do think it's telling that many — including, admittedly, us — have taken Ozzie Guillen's use of the word "fag" somewhat lightly, as if to say, "Hey, it's Ozzie, he says things sometimes." We, of course, would not have been so forgiving if he had said the n-word, or other racial slurs. No matter how much of a dope Mariotti might be, Ozzie, in our view, was wrong. Pretend as everyone might otherwise, there are gay people in sports, and we guarantee you: Someone in that locker room — player, attendant, reporter — was offended in a much different way than Mariotti was.

And, lastly: We hear lotsa rumors around these parts, and here's one of the more persistant ones of late: Don't be shocked if you don't see Mariotti in the pages of the Sun-Times for a while. Whispers of "indefinite, unplanned vacation" keep popping up. We'll keep you updated.

Will McDonough Remembered [GreaterBoston]
The Manly, Manly Sports Reporters [Deadspin]
One Slur That's Still Somewhat OK [Under 30 Blog]

(UPDATE: Oh, and Mariotti was on the Tucker Carlson show last night.)

• The soon-to-be-ex-wife of New York Giants defensive lineman Michael Strahan has accused him of an "alternative lifestyle" with TV doctor Ian Smith, who disputes the claim, saying he's a happily married man. Excuse us? On the down low, hell-LO??!!

• Three New York fire fighters refused to play a gay rugby team after asking for assurances that no one on the team was HIV-positive. To quote a Gotham Knights player: "[The FDNY player] came up and said something like, 'I don't mean to be a jerk, but . . .' and then he asked if we could all confirm that we were not HIV positive." The FDNY ended up forfeiting the game. The Gotham Knights, by the way, were co-founded by Mark Bingham, one of the passengers who rushed the cockpit on United Flight 93 on September 11.

• We feel obliged to point out that the word "fag" is obviously offensive and never to be used in a derogatory fashion. Therefore, we rap Ozzie Guillen on the knuckles for calling Jay Mariotti that yesterday. Frankly, we would have gone with "drag queen;" it's less offensive, and certainly funnier. And probably true, actually.

In Which Ozzie Calls Jay ... [Jay The Joke]
Wife Accuses Strahan Of Gay Affair [OutSports]

(UPDATE: Just thought you might want to muse on this story excerpt, from Guillen defending himself:

"He also said that he has gay friends, goes to WNBA games, went to the Madonna concert and plans to attend the Gay Games in Chicago. 'I called that of this man [Mariotti],'' [Guillen] said. 'I'm not trying to hurt anybody [else].''"

When Weir gave his famous "the establishment can't handle me" speech, we thought he was overreaching a little bit. But a reader tells us that the U.S. figure skating "establishment" really might have some serious problems with Weir ... and is feeling its repercussions.

The new brochure and website for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, to be held next January in Spokane Washington, are out now, and there is quite a glaring admission. Although reigning Men's National Champion, a title he has held for the last three years, Johnny Weir is not mentioned or pictured anywhere on either entity. The website bears the stamp 'Sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating" in the lower left corner; it looks like the United States Figure Skating Association is trying to send quite a message, to both the public and to Weir himself, apparently, by omitting him from advertising for the championships. Every other major skater is included: Kwan (who didn't compete at the Olympics, Worlds or the 2006 Nationals), Cohen, Meisner, Belbin & Agosto, and of course their fair-haired boy Evan Lysacek.

Word within skating circles is that the USFSA is hoping to replace Weir as mens representative for the sport with Lysacek, whom they deem more 'socially acceptable', regardless of the fact that he is nowhere near the artist or technician that Weir is. I can't think of another sport where authorities have this kind of power over the career of the athlete regardless of their talent and record.

Johnny Weir Has Had It Up To Here With Your "Rules" [Deadspin]

The newspapers printed stories about a couple of soccer players getting down with someone in the music industry and using a cell phone as a gay sex toy, which just sounds unsanitary and unsafe. Is there an attachment for that sort of thing? The British are so far ahead of us when it comes to using cell phones as sex toys.

Cole was never actually named by the papers, but they printed some pictures with the faces blurred out, and everyone seemed to think it was Cole. A different paper, noting Cole's lawsuit, ran the headline, "Ashley Cole: I'm Not a Rear Gunner."

I wish the America media worked more like the British media. I'd make up a gay rumor about a different athlete every weekend here on Deadspin. Hell, I'd do it with every post. The first thing I would do is romantically link Warren Sapp and Shaun White. If I could do that sort of thing.

Cole sues tabloids [The Advertiser]

Well, it turns out, there's a story behind that; the producers of the film asked the NFL for game footage, and the league turned them down. One of the producers claimed that the refusal was because of the movie's theme (you see, some dudes do each other in it), but the NFL says it's not true.

"Our decision to decline licensing NFL footage for this project has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it is 'a positive and moving gay-themed love story,'" [a league spokesperson said]. "It is based primarily on the manner in which you seek to use NFL footage — a manner that is detrimental to the very image with which the NFL chooses to associate."

The issue at hand: The notion that not watching football makes one "girly," an odd hair for the NFL to split, we think. Of course, it's also strange to hear a league spokesperson say, "We believe that the view that a boy who does not watch football will somehow grow up to be less than a man is narrow-minded and derogatory; we presume it is in the script for that very reason. We choose not to license our footage to be used as a vehicle to illustrate such a point." The whole thing has our head kind of spinning, actually; the NFL is basically saying, "If your son doesn't consume our product, he's not a sissy. So stop calling him that."

The NFL, at least at an executive level, is traditionally one of the less homophobic leagues, due in part (presumably) to the fact that Paul Tagliabue's son is gay. And this seems to be along the same lines. So remember: The NFL Says: Your Kid Is Not A Wuss.

Why NFL Said No to Brokeback [Out Sports]
Paul Tagliabue: Friend To The Gays [Deadspin]

Outsports.com brings us this tale of a guy hanging out at somewhere in Kansas, observing other middle-aged blue-collared Kansans admiring the powerful hindquarters of Johnny Weir. There's talk of blind taylors, a skater's points being too high, and glute work. It sounds like a conversation that could've been taken place in any hair salon, or poodle grooming shop in America.

I think this might be the key to opening up a little more gay acceptance in America: tie sports to it. If there's a sporting event involved, even rugged Kansans have no trouble critiquing sequined outfits, Evgeni Plushenko's lack of artistry, and the strong backsides of the world's best figure skaters. Anyone out there who's thinking of organizing a gay pride parade, stop and turn it into a gay pride race. I think hairy middle aged guys in leather chaps and ball-gags would be perfectly acceptable to society, as long as they were throwing shot-putts or driving race cars.

Weir Connects in Kansas [Outsports.com]

But we can't get on board with Roy Simmons, a former New York Giant who is gay and HIV-positive, who is claiming that the NFL discriminated against him by not giving him a press pass to the Super Bowl. Simmons said he wanted to "talk about the importance of HIV testing," which is a noble goal. But when you show up at the press tent two days before the most widely covered event on the planet, demanding a pass, well, discrimination is hardly the reason you were turned down.

Simmons is demanding an investigation into the refusal. Here, we'll help: It was two days before the game. It's called a planner. They're very easy to find. They have a calendar, with which you can write down all kinds of important dates. We suggest looking into it.

NFL Discriminated, Ex-Giant Claims [Philly.com]

Ricky Williams (Miami Dolphins) is Bi, something that was well known here in Austin when he attended. He does love the ladies however he's not one to pass on a stiff one. He kept company with a couple of strippers that worked at the Yellow Rose and they have some interesteing stories with regards to some of Mr. Williams fetishes. He likes toys such asbutt plugs and anal beads anything regarding anal stimulation and such as that. When former teammates like James Brown (a former UT quarterback) are asked about Ricky they always give a little knowing chuckle and just respond with "He's a wierd character."

For the record, this is hardly the first time there have been such whispers. So that's why Mike Wallace kept hanging around.

NFL Wives Club [Yahoo Groups]
Ricky Williams Retires [OutSports]

It was an extremely close race, and we thank all competitors for playing. Hey, it's an honor to be nominated.

The final results:

• 1. Kordell Stewart. 27.3 percent, 217 votes
• 2. Mike Piazza. 26.4 percent, 206 votes
• 3. Peyton Manning. 23.8 percent, 186 votes
• 4. Tony Stewart. 14.4 percent, 112 votes
• 5. Bruce Chen. 8.1 percent, 63 votes

We think Chen would have finished higher, but, as some of you have pointed out, most people don't know who that is.

Cultural Oddsmaker: Next Prominent Gay Athlete [Oddjack]