LeRoy Butler and Jason Collins

When I was eight-years-old, LeRoy Butler was my favorite Green Bay Packers player. I wore his No. 36 jersey until I literally could not squeeze into it any longer. I, like every kid in Wisconsin, emulated the Lambeau Leap that he created by jumping into snowbanks cradling a football.

Nearly 20 years later, I’m proud that one of my heroes growing up is a man of conviction.

According to his @leap36 Twitter feed, Butler was forced to cancel his speaking engagement at a Wisconsin church due to the support that he showed to NBA journeyman Jason Collins, who announced this week that he was gay. What exactly did Butler say?

“Congrats to Jason Collins.”

That’s it. One four-word tweet to a colleague, another professional athlete who was choosing to make the most important announcement of his life in a very public way.

Read more of my take here: http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/2013/05/leroy-butler-supports-jason-collins-forced-to-cancel-speaking-engagement-at-church/