Skip bayless is gay

It's been 16 long years since ESPN talking head and troll extraordinaire Skip Bayless wrote "Hell-Bent," a book about the Cowboys that contained a completely unsubstantiated claim that Cowboys Hall of Fame QB Troy Aikman might have been homosexual. Aikman, who later married Rhonda Worthey and had two children with her before separating this year, has been relatively calm about Bayless' inflammatory remarks. Until this week, Aikman went on 1310 The Ticket and unloaded. From the Dallas Morning News:

After saying -- rather gratuitously -- "I'm not so sure Skip's not gay," Aikman made it eliminate that he still bears a grudge.

"When a guy like that comes out and, whether it's intimated or stated, and there's no substance to that claim, and he's doing it purely to gain interest in a book, that's a problem," he said. Aikman then added:

"I will tell you this. I've not seen -- I've not physically seen Skip Bayless since that time. That was in '95. And I still kind of wonder what I might do to him when I perform see him.

You might think it's a bit hypocritical of Aikman to hurl a gay taunt Bayless' way, and tack on a threat of physical harm. But Bayless' rumor-mongeri

Skip Bayless might push limits when it comes to his sports commentary, but he wouldn’t dare use the word “punk,” and he’s urging others to go after his lead.

Bayless hasn’t been considered the model for political precision throughout his polarizing career in sports media. Nor has he been overly careful to dodge insulting professional athletes. But the former ESPN and FS1 host has a problem with hearing “punk” used by sports media personalities and announcers.

“Now I’d prefer to talk about the synonyms punk,” Bayless began. “A pos I hear used a lot in sports today. I overhear it a lot, used by sports media commentators. I’m gonna talk about the word punk and its etymology, it’s source, it’s evolution. I first heard the word punk when I was three years old.”

Three years old? Don’t doubt Bayless. He says he has an autobiographical memory and remembers being in his backyard on the Fourth of July in 1955 while using a punk to illumination fireworks. Bayless remembers the phrase being used to describe “bad kids” or “weak-minded, un-tough losers.” He also knows Ashton Kutcher helped turn punk into a verb.

“And then the verb punk’d somehow evolved into part of the sports lexicon. What?” Bayless

Dave Kopay was the first professional team sport athlete to declare his homosexuality. Since that moment in 1975, three years after his retirement from a nine-year career as an NFL running assist, few have followed in his wake.

Kopay played for five teams during his career -- San Francisco, Detroit, Washington, New Orleans and Emerald Bay. He later tried to get into coaching, but the NFL and colleges expressed no interest after his homosexuality was made public.

Kopay now runs his family's linoleum business in Southern California. As part of the Outside the Lines series on gays and homophobia in sports, Kopay chatted about his life and those of other gay athletes.

Below is an edited transcript of that chat:

Chris: It has been no classified that a lot of athletes have a history of being womanizers. Did you see a lot of that happening and did fellow football players wonder why you weren't interested in partaking in their fun?

Dave Kopay:

As for being a womanizer, at a adolescent age you're full of excitement and energy. And I did date women at the time. A lot of guys were married and they'd move home to their wives. So the fact that I didn't date a whole lo

“I Have Plenty of Gay Friends, Genderqueer Friends…”: Charles Barkley Doesn’t Hold Assist Throwing Dirt on Skip Bayless

The Phoenix Suns legend Charles Barkley emerged as one of the authoritative voices and NBA analysts post his retirement. The 11-time All-Star never shied away from having honest takes on the players and the game. Additionally, he has often landed himself in trouble for his honesty. Nevertheless, he recently didn’t restrict himself from having a strong grab on the sports columnist Skip Bayless.

Skip Bayless is one of the widespread TV presenters in the American sports world. Bayless can often be seen alongside the NFL legend, Shannon Sharpe, analyzing NFL and NBA games. Recently, the veteran analyst found himself in a controversy when he shared an insensitive tweet after the tragic Damar Hamlin collision during an NFL game. However, Barkley took a dig at Bayless in a recent show and admitted that he disliked him.

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Charles Barkley throws dirt at Bayless

In a recent episode of All The Smoke, Charles Barkley engaged in a candid conversation, speaking about his ethics as a TV sports analyst. Former NBA star Matt Barn