The Necessary Roughness two-episode storyline about a top NFL quarterback coming out concludes tonight in the season finale, airing at 10:00 p.m. on the USA Network. The episodes are airing as part of USA's "Character Unite Month" which is dedicated to promoting messages of understanding and acceptance. Watch a sneak peek from tonight's episode, "There's The Door," below.
Minnesota Vikings punter and LGBT equality advocate Chris Kluwe praised the storyline and Necessary Roughness' treatment of the issue in a piece he wrote for Salon.com.
"After watching the two episodes of Necessary Roughness dealing with a gay football player coming out, I was struck by how accurately the writers and producers of the show portrayed what the locker room would be like," he wrote. "Above all, the locker room is about being a team. Gay, straight, black, white, brown, red, tall or short — the essence of every good locker room is sticking by each other no matter what. […] Will a gay player face people who don’t understand, people who throw insults and jeers? Absolutely. But if that player is in a locker room full of men, true men, men who understand the underlying bedrock of football, then that player won’t care because he’ll be part of a team — and that’s exactly what Necessary Roughness nailed in these two episodes. The cohesiveness of team."
You can learn more about USA's Characters Unite campaign on their website here. Catch the season finale of Necessary Roughness tonight at 10:00 p.m. on the USA Network.