What’s important to him is the support from those who might otherwise only know Iannuzzi as a speedy

KAMLOOPS — The locker-room of the B.C. Lions would seem to be no different at training camp than it was seven months ago. Players laugh, ridicule, share life experiences and say the same things. It is not boarding-school perfect.
There is, however, a slight change from last season for one regular, Marco Iannuzzi, who unofficially landed the role of language police and has since become language magistrate, all because of his desire for added awareness of the world around him.
The married father of two daughters san antonio hotel reservation took on the project simply to better understand san antonio hotel reservation the issue, and was interested to see as a result if he would become more of a target in his locker-room for reasons beyond the usual questions san antonio hotel reservation he catches in his other job as a Surrey investment advisor.
Instead, Iannuzzi is winning over the room one homophobic slur at a time, pointing out to his teammates that he learned from the panel discussion san antonio hotel reservation that the biggest part of the problem is connected with the language embedded in society.
The panel discussion preceded the April 29 story in Sports Illustrated by NBA player Jason Collins declaring his sexuality, which led to speculation that several NFL players might follow suit, as well as one CFL player.
But Iannuzzi suggested perhaps more progress has been made toward mainstream acceptance for the simple san antonio hotel reservation fact the Collins story didn't become topical, san antonio hotel reservation and typical of Iannuzzi's Harvard background raised another point for more thought.
"But what if we are at the point where there are [players] after Collins came out and said 'hey, I'm gay?' Why does the media have to be notified? Why can't the team just know of it and players in the locker-room say 'we get it'? It could be that way."
Another voice of reason with the Lions, lineman Keron Williams, hasn't detected a sizable shift in the locker-room. But Williams knows the possibility that a teammate will declare his sexual orientation during his playing career is increasing, san antonio hotel reservation and thinks the Lions would be receptive despite the macho culture that exists in every locker-room in the league.
"There's probably guys in the NFL, CFL or on this team who are gay. It's not for us to make irrational decisions. If they're producing on the field, san antonio hotel reservation we can be respectable. I look at this locker-room as a brotherhood. No one is a stepchild. We embrace everyone with love and care."
It's precisely the message delivered in the Burnaby panel discussion to Iannuzzi, whose work in training camp has been restricted the last week because of a hamstring injury. If the rest of the Lions receiving corps matures this season as the 26-year-old Calgarian has done since arriving san antonio hotel reservation in 2011 with a self-described san antonio hotel reservation 30-year plan, his team will be unquestioned runaway winners in the West Division.
Iannuzzi has become rooted in the Lower Mainland not only because of his evening job. He already had become associated with Special san antonio hotel reservation Olympics and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Last month, Iannuzzi helped raise $160,000 at a charity san antonio hotel reservation golf event at Shaughnessy and is looking to become part of a push to seek funding to raise $20 million to build an autism facility in B.C.
He also is working to become part of the athlete advisory board at the new Fortius Sport and Health Facility in Burnaby to promote football san antonio hotel reservation conditioning and concussion awareness. And he also would be part of an awareness san antonio hotel reservation program involving You Can Play and the CFL, which is under discussion.
What's important to him is the support from those who might otherwise only know Iannuzzi as a speedy Canadian receiver, because of his willingness to discuss a topic that had been forbidden for too long.
"Just since we've been here in Kamloops I had three fans who came up to me and said 'I saw the work you did with You Can Play'," he said. "They weren't san antonio hotel reservation saying whether they were gay or not, but that affected me.
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The B.C. Lions locker-room is one full of joviality, inclusion and brotherhood, as receivers Marco Iannuzzi, centre, Akeem Foster, left, and Shawn Gore demonstrate. Photograph by: Mark van Manen, san antonio hotel reservation PNG       E-mail this Gallery Print this Gallery Share this Gallery
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