With so much unwanted attention
right now, the University of Washington ought to be appreciating the
guy who led the Huskies to the 1964 Rose Bowl. The entire game,
frankly, could use a colonic.
And while the treatment of gay athletes is may not be college
football's most pressing issue, Dave Kopay's involvement with UW's Q Center can't help but bring it front and center in the Great Northwest. (By the way Kopay’s email address is DavidKopay@hotmail.com.)

The week before the Super Bowl has been, per usual, consistently overblown — talk about nothing. In the third and final installment of our interview series, Kopay discussed a number  of issues relating to coaching. With the Rooney Rule being increasingly ignored, it seems a perfect time to ponder who gets to roam the sidelines wearing headsets and why.

There must be athletes at the collegiate and high school level who threaten to be so good they won’t have to stay in the closet.

Last
year I saw a high school athlete who, I thought, for sure will be a
major star in the future. I think he’s at UCLA. If I have any gaydar at
all, I swear he is [gay].

What kind of reception do you think he’s facing?

It’s
getting a lot better, that’s for sure. It’s certainly not where it
should be. The sports world is the last bastion where they almost
celebrate bigotry, but it’s getting uncool for that. Even when I was
debating Reggie White,
who was coming out with all his hate, the National Football League and
some of the people in the front office were defending him. That
wouldn’t happen today. There’s been huge progress.

You never got a shot a coaching, but really wanted that. Why do you think it didn’t happen?

People who knew me knew I would be a good coach because I was kind of a player-coach with Larry Brown
when he was a young pup in Washington under Lombardi. Years went on and
I was the guy in the background who was reliable at helping guys out.
Terry Williams and John Brockington
in Green Bay. They relied on the older veterans to make plays or be
competent. But the coach is like the protecter of the tapestry, like
the church. And if I was a gay fella, it would be like, “Oh my god, I
wouldn’t be the protector. I would be the person who was preying on
someone.”

Religiosity [reaches] into the coaching profession at every rank.

Well, [name redacted] is gay, and he is coaching in the NBA. Isn’t that an advance?

Yes, there are openly gay coaches. There’s an openly gay softball coach at Oregon State.

That’s different. It’s different with women.

That’s because all you straight guys’ fantasy is two women, right? Why do you think that is, Donnell?

Maybe it’s an American men’s thing and we want volume, volume, volume!

I
don’t think so. It’s the same with England, Germany and France. I think
it has a lot to do with women knowing a woman better than any man can.
And that’s so exciting — if you were with them you’d be sharing in
that. But God forbid if it was a man and a man with a woman!

Right. Who do you like in the Super Bowl?

My
territory is the New York Giants. Archie Manning is a great, great guy.
I played with him in New Orleans. He always treated everybody with
dignity and respect. And how he’s raised his kids, I’m just really
impressed with that. You’d think I’d have been cheering for Green Bay
because I was there, but I was cheering for the Giants in that game.
The way New England’s playing, you can’t pick against them, but I’d
certainly love to see Belichick beaten because I can’t believe the way
he’s treated some of his players. And I can’t believe the pass he’s
gotten. I don’t understand it. The way he treated Ted Johnson.

You’ve
been dealing with all those injuries. (Kopay has had hip, elbow and
shoulder replacement surgeries.) What do you make of this matter of wounded vets.?

But for the grace of God, I might be one of those people. I think Gene Upshaw has been just what Bryant Gumbel said
he was. He’s been a yes-man at all times to the owners of the National
Football League. All he cares about is his $5-7 million contract. It’s
ridiculous. There’s so much money that’s available now. We did get a
raise in our pensions last year, but it should have been double what
that was. They need to go so much further to help the old guys out who
really helped form the league.

Donnell Alexander is the MOLI View's contributing editor for Sports & Fitness.