Reggie White, who usually preaches harmony, accomplished the opposite with a sermon to Wisconsin lawmakers that civil rights groups Thursday said amounted to gay- and race-bashing.
White, an ordained minister, called homosexuality a sin and spoke in racial stereotypes, claiming blacks were gifted worshippers, whites were good at tapping into money and American Indians weren't enslaved because they knew the territory and "how to sneak up on people."David Smith, spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, a gay and lesbian political group, said White showed "complete disrespect for gay Americans in his remarks Wednesday."
CBS Sports spokeswoman Leslie Ann Wade would not say whether White's speech would affect his chances for a studio analyst's job he is seeking.
Felmers Chaney, president of the Milwaukee chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said: "Reggie is not one of those who speaks for all of us, and he shouldn't attempt to do that. I am not going to condemn him, and I am not going to stand up for him."
Chris Ahmuty, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, said White's remarks would not further race relations.
"That may have been his intention, that he wants the races to work together, but obviously using racial stereotypes doesn't help," Ahmuty said.
"People should not let it slide just because he is a sports hero or celebrity. . . . You don't try to censor them. You respond to it with more speech," Ahmuty said.
White told the state Assembly that one of the biggest sins is homosexuality and the plight of gays and lesbians should not be compared to that of blacks.
White, who is black, told the largely white Assembly that blacks were gifted at worship and celebration; that whites do a good job building business and "know how to tap into money"; that Hispanics are gifted in "family structure" and can put 20 to 30 people in one home; that Japanese and Asians are inventive and "can turn a television into a watch"; and Indians are gifted in spirituality.