The Human Rights Campaign yesterday "blasted" the Giants hiring former NFLer David Tyree as the club's new Dir of Player Development based on past comments in which he "expressed anti-gay views," according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPN N.Y. Tyree in '11 said that he would "trade in his famous Super Bowl helmet catch if it would stop homosexuals from being married." The club in a statement yesterday said that Tyree "was expressing his personal view, and that is not the view of the Giants organization." Tyree replaces Charles Way, who "took a job" as NFL Head of Player Engagement a couple of weeks ago (ESPNNY.com, 7/22). The N.Y. Daily News' Ralph Vacchiano said he was a "little bit" surprised by the hire given that Tyree's stance is "not the same belief as many people in the organization." Vacchiano: "It's certainly possible that, in his role, David Tyree is going to have to deal with a player's concerns about a gay teammate at some point. ... That stance that he has is one that he's going to have to answer to at some point, and the Giants are probably going to have to explain it as well" ("Daily News Live," SNY, 7/22). ESPN.com's Dan Graziano wrote, "While I don't think wrongheaded views should necessarily prevent a person from seeking and holding a job in his chosen field, I'm surprised that the Giants would make such a tone-deaf move in the current NFL and social climate" (ESPN.com, 7/22).
