The curious case of Kerry Rhodes.
His “assistant” Hollywood Simpson claims they were lovers and Rhodes has denied it while not specifically addressing the relationship he and Hollywood Simpson had.
As far as the NFL some believe if Rhodes would have came out, he would have had a better chance of getting a job. Doesn’t matter if he is gay or not, the lingering question may have given teams more pause than anything else.
There are also disagreements about how good of a player Rhodes is and currently can be. Rhodes for his part when he spoke to Jane McManus of ESPN doesn’t seem to believe his sexuality is the reason he is unemployed.
“I don’t think I was blacklisted,” Rhodes said during a phone interview Tuesday. “Especially with the NFL I don’t think they would do that … to me it was a product of me wanting to do other things and not finding the right opportunity.”
When asked to speak on his relationship with Hollywood Simpson and his sexual orientation here is what he had to say.
“I emphatically said no once and that’s all I need to say and people who know me know that’s definitely not the case,” Rhodes said. “To me I’m definitely not and I can’t control but people think, so I move on.”
Rhodes who ironically was called Hollywood during his time with the Jets, says he has outside interests and thinks money is the real reason he isn’t in the NFL.
Whatever the case, the rumors will persist, because once it is out there, you can’t put it back in the closet.