When Jason Collins announced to the world that he was gay, numerous athletes, celebrities and fans have come out in support of the professional basketball player who is now being considered as a leader of his time. The response has been mainly positive, but with such a bold and courageous statement also comes backlash. Former Green Bay Packer Leroy Butler took to Twitter to support Collins and is now being forced to cancel a speaking appearance due to his statements.
Butler was scheduled to give a speech at a local church in Wisconsin, but they are now canceling it after Butler showed his support for Collins. Butler has become known for his philanthropic work after his career in the NFL ended. He now heads up the Leroy Butler Foundation and speaks on his efforts. Butler tweeted out that his appearance had been canceled due to his congratulatory statements to Collins. He said the speaking fee of $8,500 and he was told he could still receive it if he removed the tweet, apologized and asked for forgiveness. Butler said he would not.
There has been some backlash to Collins coming out as the first athlete to announce he was gay. Most of that is due to negative comments towards Collins, not for words of support from others.
A famous face in the Wisconsin area, Butler played all 12 of his NFL seasons for Green Bay from 1990 to 2001. He was key to the Packers Super Bowl XXXI win. He was credited to inventing the Lambeau Leap after recording 38 interceptions in 181 games.
So, over one tweet that read "Congrats Jason Collins", Butler lost $8,500.
