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Chris Culliver to have sensitivity training, work with LGBT group

Chris Culliver chats with teammates during an interview session on Wednesday in New Orleans.
(Mark Humphrey / Associated Press)
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Chris Culliver, the San Francisco 49ers cornerback who made headlines with anti-gay remarks, will take sensitivity training and education classes after the Super Bowl.

Culliver will eventually become a volunteer with the Trevor Project, which provides crisis and suicide intervention for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.

“He’s so passionate about youth and people being comfortable with who they are and accepted by all,” Culliver’s public relations representative, Theodore Palmer, told the Associated Press. “He’s excited to learn. The plan is with the Trevor Project, and their concerns are that he is genuine about his words.”

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Culliver was being interviewed by comedian Arte Lange on Tuesday night when Lange asked him if there were gay players in the NFL.

“I don’t do the gay guys man,” Culliver said. “I don’t do that.”

Lange asked if he thought there were any gay players currently on the 49ers.

“No, we don’t got no gay people on the team, they gotta get up out of here if they do. Can’t be with that sweet stuff.”

Culliver immediately came under fire and issued an apology.

“The derogatory comments I made [Tuesday] were a reflection of thoughts in my head, but they are not how I feel,” Culliver said in a statement released by the 49ers. “It has taken me seeing them in print to realize that they are hurtful and ugly. Those discriminating feelings are truly not in my heart. Further, I apologize to those who I have hurt and offended, and I pledge to learn and grow from this experience.”

Palmer said that Culliver will work the Trevor Project while volunteering at a crisis center in San Francisco.

“It’s just an opportunity for him to learn about his comments and educate himself about the LGBT community, and grow,” Palmer said. “It’s the first step in learning about his words.”

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