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Giants cornerback Terrell Thomas, who will be a free agent, says the NFL is not ready for an openly gay player.

(William Perlman/The Star-Ledger)

Terrell Thomas obviously doesn't share the views of his soon-to-be former bosses John Mara and Steven Tisch, who said they would welcome openly gay Michael Sam to the team if he were drafted by the Giants.

The Giants cornerback, who will become a free agent next month, made it clear in an interview Tuesday with the New York Post that he wouldn't be comfortable with Sam as a teammate.

Then again, after some of the statements Thomas made, there are probably NFL players who might not be comfortable with him as a teammate, either.

The highlights:

• Thomas on homosexuality: "I don't believe in it, I don't respect it, but if that's what you want to do, so be it. I can't speak for the NFL or our team or the locker room, I just know what goes on and what type of situation it's going to put a lot of guys in."

PLUS:

Ex_Rutgers players Devin, Jason McCourty unsure how Sam will fit in NFL locker room

• On having a gay man see him naked: "I think the biggest thing is going to be in the locker room. Not on the football field, not on the practice field, but in the locker room where guys are walking around naked, guys are joking, the way coaches talk, the way players talk, you have to be careful what you say because you don't want to offend anybody."

• On possible bullying: "When you look at the Miami Dolphins situation [between Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito] that happened last year nobody wants that in their locker room. That's coming and that's the unfortunate thing, more than anything, because now it's about him or his beliefs and not about football.''

• On how Sam will make life miserable: "The biggest thing is the media, hearing that a bunch of 18- and 20-year-olds can accept him, why can't a bunch of grown men in an NFL locker room? To be honest with you, the culture's different. It is a brotherhood unlike no other.

“It changes things around the locker room. How you can act, how you can talk. Unwanted attention to your organization, unwanted questions that you have to answer. It puts a lot of pressure on certain people who don’t want to be in that position.’’

• On why some players might resent Sam: "Some team will have to hire a company to educate us and make sure we're saying the right thing. All the extra stuff you have to go through, all the extra meetings, that's something as veteran players we don't want."

• On how society just doesn't understand the locker-room culture: "As a ballplayer, if he can play ball that's all that matters. I'm sure he won't be the first gay guy to play in the NFL, but he's the first openly one out, nobody knows him and I think more than anything it's going to make the locker room uncomfortable. It's not easy for society to get that, they won't understand how tight-knit of a group we are and how we joke about each other, we joke about each other's family members. You have to, because when you're going to war, you're going to battle you have to believe in that person, you have to love that person like a brother. I'm not saying nobody will do the same with Michael, but it's tough when you just are put in this position.

“I’m not saying he’s selfish by any means, I know what he did is very courageous, a lot of people wouldn’t do that, but at the same time no one really knows if the NFL is ready for it.’’