It was announced last Saturday that the late football great Reggie White will head the 2006 class of NFL Hall of Famers, to the rejoicing of most fans, but to the chagrin of many voiceless people – their silence caused by White.

No question that White’s on the field dominance was of a Hall of Fame caliber, but it was his performances off the field that really separated him from the pack. Many have claimed White to have been a bigot and a homophobe.

In March of 1998, White, a member of the Green Bay Packers at the time, was asked to speak in front of the Wisconsin State Legislature about community involvement, but no one was ready for what White said.

Discussing homosexuality as one of the largest ongoing debates in America, White, nicknamed the ‘Minister of Defense’ because of his defensive football prowess, in addition to being an ordained minister, described this sexual orientation as a “sin.”

He also compared homosexuals to those who are “liars and cheaters and malicious and back-stabbing.”

“I’m offended that homosexuals will say that homosexuals deserve rights,” White went on to say.

He added, “Any man in America deserves rights, but homosexuals are trying to compare their plight with the plight of black men or black people.”

White added that “Homosexuality is a decision, it’s not a race. People from all different ethnic backgrounds live in this lifestyle.”

“I’ve often had people ask me, would you allow a homosexual to be your friend. Yes, I will,” said White. “And the reason I will is because I know that that person has problems, and if I can minister to those problems, I will.”

I am with the American Civil Liberties Union in allowing a man like White to stand up and say what he believes.

He is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, but at some point, a line must be drawn.

What White said was borderline encouragement for homosexual hate crimes, which continue to be a problem, especially in the United States, as was evident in other national news headlines from this past weekend.

The other major point here is that these things came out of the mouth of a role model to children, a minister who claims to be preaching “faith,” as well as an African-American and a sports star.

These functions that White encompassed matter greatly because of the responsibilities that they entail. What are America’s children, churchgoers, other African-Americans and athletes supposed to think after hearing this anti-homosexual banter?

Additionally, White’s statement that homosexuals and their struggles are entirely unlike that of blacks is completely ignorant.

After all, it was not all that long ago that blacks in America were not allowed to be in the military, share bathrooms with others or participate in sports.

Homosexuals are discriminated against in the military and in the workplace as well.

Had White lived past December 2004 and past the age of 43, perhaps his mind could have been changed on this issue, but we will never know.

Kudos to him on his induction into the NFL Hall of Fame.

But unfortunately, his legacy will always be tarnished by this insensitive and deplorable view of homosexuals.