>> hi, i'm lisa fletcher and you're in the stream. with former new orleans punter chris hunter dropped, because of his gay rights stance? why the nfl gives out painkillers to players like candy. just to save the game? and then the nba just appointed its first full time female assistant coach. why did it take so long? ♪ ♪

♪ >> my co-hose and digital producer wajahat ali is here. bringing your feedback. chris cluy in the center of the issue. >> i was a husky child always wore husky pants, i wanted to play spors, sports. tackling all of the crises, i think mainstream media wants to use these issues to stir the pot and attract viewers and listeners. however, i don't know how going g they are in constructive conversations. we're going oprove them wrong. >> we're going ohave a constructive conversation. >> we're going odo it. >> former nfl punter made waves because

of his outspoken position on gay rights. cluy is considering suing for internal violations of the vikings into his claims, including mike prefer, made. >> chris cluy joins us and al jazeera sports director neil scarborough. thanks for both of you for being here. chris, you were dismissfrom the minnesota vikings. and you are a gay rights activist. what makes you feel that is the reason for your dismissal? >> they wanted me to keep my punts higher and shorter because my special teams coaches told me our coverages weren't very good.

they wanted to cover up that deficiency by keeping my numbers down. i understood you needed to sacrifice for the team. it would keep my numbers down but it was something to sacrifice for the team. the team takes care of you. and i punted my last year with the vikings pretty much exactly the same as i had punted the previous years, and then all of a sudden, they drafted a punter in the fifth round and got rid of me. which really didn't make sense to me. because i had been doing exactly what they wanted me to do and no one had told me they were displeased with my performance. and so when i looked at it, the only thing that it changed from years 1 through 7 to year 8 is was that i became active in promoting same-sex rights. >> were there things that were said or intimated to you though in that last year when you became active that made an undeniable connection that this was the reason you were being released?

>> looking back they did. again remember with hindsight it's very easy to say you should have done this when this happened, because -- i didn't know i would be released. my special teams coach mike prefer made homophobic remarks, it was like, was he trying to get a rise out of me? something i pointed out in the desmond article. but it was with malice in his voice, he meant them. okay, maybe he was just having a rough year, maybe the season is getting long, whatever, let's put the season behind us. once they drafted a punter and let me go i looked back and said you know what? there is something else here. based on what i know of the nfl those action he aren't consistent with everything i've alleged with the nfl.

>> the vikings said he was an inconsistent performer. scouts in 2012 said he didn't have a very good year in 2012. was it possible that chris wasn't released because he wasn't performing up to par? >> it's hard to say. chris can answer that better what environment he was in not just with mike prefer. chris punted for the vikings for eight years. the average punter's career was five. he was doing something right to have a career that long. at the same time he had a pretty fruitful career. but the real question for chris if he felt like an outsider, in that locker room, or building a cre shen toda crescendo to, you're not welcome here, you have to fight for your job, so the question is whether the fight was there or whether chris felt he didn't get a fair shot. >> chris is not an

outsider on twitter. chris tweeted earlier, things the nfl is cool with, beating women, driving drunk. public money for stadiums, party buses for headrests. and derek spears has push back for chris. if the quote unquote phobia is not brought to work, players should have unfavorable options and opinions. a question for chris from bonnie, why off field offenses drugs, et cetera, baltimore ravens running back ray rice. please are answer bonnie's question, why does the nfl deal dewith off field offenses? >> that's been consistent with the nfl. if you are a star player on your team then you're allowed to get away with much more than somebody who is a fringe player or backup.

case in point with jim mersey, you're allowed to get away with more than a star player is allowed to get away with. that is reality of the nfl, there is a sliding scale of justice. that sliding scale of justice is also when you compare with what the normal people have to deal with, heavily skewed. normally people get locked up three, five, ten years for. but okay, do community service slap on the wrist and you're back to playing games. we have to ask ourselves as a society do we value our entertainment that highly that we're willing to overlook that kind of behavior simply because someone can run faster catch or throw a ball? >> chris, neil touched on this just a minute ago. we're seeing openly gay players, michael sam, openly gay athletes they're endorsing we get the impression that things are changing, getting better. what's happening in the locker

room continuum? because you still hear stories coaches encouraging homosexual players not to be open, what's social injustice like behind closed doors in the locker rooms? >> it's actually getting better in the locker rooms from a player's perspective. i don't think people realize that the neville and sports games are a young person's game, young people cycling in and older people cycling out. these generational things are, this is very clear in the poablg polling data. where the problems arise in the coaching ranks or management ranks those are people who tend to be older white men and they have a very specific view on the world and until they either change their minds or cycle out of those position he then you're

going to see the same -- positions then you're going to see the same sort of thing, until the older generation moves on then it's tough to make changes. but we are making changes. >> all right so you know michael sam of st. louis rams openly gay player got drafted. we asked the community does this show ashift of mainstream sensibility. neil. >> we've had a few things play over the last few months where the nba had the donald sterling issue and becky hammond was assistant coach in the league. good news story. >> we'll be talking about that later. >> n

nfl, october's issue, michael sam, no no not on my team, and tony dunge, pumping up their success and being concerned with them, coming out to say, i don't know if i would have a gay guy in my routine, taking him out of camp. roger goodell is trying to be judge and jury, when you look at some of the other leagues it still seems like it's the nee neanderthal view, be like the nba and willing to take a chance and back up the right causes. >> we're going to talk a little bit more the nba able to take up the cause. up next pushing pills on the field. why nfl athletes have filed a class

action, against owners. pushing a culture of pills.

>> heavily armed, combat tactics >> every little podunk wants their tank and their bazooka... >> with s.w.a.t. raids on the rise... >> when it goes wrong, it goes extremely wrong... >> what's the price for militarizing our police >> they killed evan dead >> faul lines, al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> there blocking the door... >> ground breaking... >> we have to get out of here... >> truth seeking... award winning investigative documentary series... deadly force only on al jazeera america

>> i'm dr. mitch abrams, i'm in the stream. >> welcome back. a group of retired nfl players is suing the league for allegedly supplying players with painkillers. joining us now to discuss this out of chicago, illinois is keith van horn, a former chicago bears player, he's a plaintiff in the prescription abuse lawsuit against the owners. what are former nflers alleging, exactly? >> basically the lawsuit we're suing the nfl and you know one of the questions is why aren't you suing individual teams? but the purpose of that is, the nfl, they're the ones who have fostered this environment. and encouraged this environment. you know, get your players out

on the field. get the best product out on the field. so we can maximize our profit. that's what the nfl's all about. maximizing profits and that's coming from the head office, you know, so that's why we're suing the nfl. >> what does it look like from a player's perspective, hibd the behind the scenes from the sidelines or in the locker room, we're not talking about some prescription for -- >> i knew something was wrong but they. >> what? >> they told me that you know, they never told me, i found out about it five years later when i had an x ray done for another injury, in a similar area of the leg, and the doctor said do you know you broke this bone here? and i said you know i knew i had done something to it but they

had told me that everything was fine. i mean by that time it had healed. it wasn't a displaced break, broken straight through. but you know, that was my instance. that was one injury they held -- they didn't tell me the truth about and i think jim mcmann one of my former teammates, he literally had a broken bone in his neck, they didn't tell him about that. richard another team mate had a bad foot injury they didn't tell him about. they would inject him. they literally ordered a special boot because my leg was so filled with blood and so swollen, to circulate like ice cold water and pressurized the pole and pumped the blood out so

i could get on the field. for two weeks i would lay on the table with my leg elevated pumping that blood out, so i could play. they would give you pills tape it up shoot it up so you could go out and play. for two, three years after that i still knew something was wrong with the leg and they said you know that's fine it's just -- >> so chris a couple years difference between your time in the game and keith. what is your sense of things? has this transitioned away or is this an embedded part of the culture in the nfl still? >> it looks like they're starting to try and transition away but mainly more for liability concerns than for any real concern for the player. i know my rookie year in 2005 i tore the acl in my punting leg and the team doctors didn't tell me until the season was over. i played the last three games of the season playing with a torn

acl in my leg. >> if you tore your acl you know you did something bad, it hurts. what are these guys thinking, are they sort of come complicit? >> i tore the ac l and also or the cartilage. the acl doesn't have any pain receptors. when you tear the cartilage you know you get a lot of pain. i knew something was wrong with my knee, i felt it buckle, felt it swell up, i didn't know it was a torn acl. the team doctor told me, yeah your acl is damaged, we'll do rehab and get you through season. the players feel they have to get out on the field because if they don't they're going to be replaced. so as a player you don't have

much choice because you know they're constantly trying to replace you and that makes you slightly complicit in being part of it. wanting to get back on the field. but when the alternative is losing your job there isn't much choice because you can't get an nfl job anywhere else. >> like people as commodities. >> chris take a listen to our community. the nfl needs an entire overhaul. discipline is empty. jordan says even though painkillers are bad it's a physical game. isn't it a catch 22 here? >> playing through injury is part and parcel of the game, nfl players now know they're being seen as gladiators, life is shortened to the middle or lately 50s. you were part of the chicago bears team, parts of the best of

all time, super bowl champion, i will be playing the game but shorten life for all time. >> no i didn't know that. at 22 you're invincible. you don't think about those things. again, in relation to this lawsuit, what chris has been saying is exactly true. when i played, there was no free agency. i was part of two strikes, the second strike, which in '87 which finally led to '83 collective bargaining agreement which brought in the first form of free agency. prior to that the team owned your rights. you had no ability to go shop your services anywhere else. so the threat of your job was held over you. if you are not on the field somebody else is going to be on the field and you're going to lose your position. so your program to play through pain, get out there, you don't want to let your teammates down.

snars my injury, the -- as far as my injury, the bone broken tweant supporting bone, it was the smaller -- wasn't the supporting bone, it was a smaller bone but it was obviously swelling and they encourage you to get out on the field and they'll give you whatever you need to get that done. because again, the nfl wants to maximize their profits and have the best product on the field. >> keith what has the nfl done for you in terms of your long term health issues, anything? >> no, it's done nothing. anybody pre-93 is pretty much -- we have no medical insurance, our pension is terrible . the latest collective bargaining agreement is a ten-year deal which is unheard of without -- there is po opt out clause in there -- there's no opt out clause there during that deal. they created a legacy fund that addressed the pre-93 players

which equates to $108 a month. that's just you add that to your pension. my pension for 13 years in the nfl is like $36,000 a year. >> where does this turn around? obviously the players are trying to create some leverage here. but does this come from the fans? do fans have to republican? >> -- to rebel? >> for keith and chris look at the landscape now would you recommend somebody play in the nfl? because players are playing in the back end of their career, seeing themselves as boxers, not as many of their mental facts, in pain -- faculties, even a part of the lawsuit that keith's a part of raises the question, we can't take a pill and i'm back on the field. the famous movie, north dallas

40, he rips his hamstring into pieces, that's part of my psyche, to allow players back on the field. even what keith was saying, the case of the player with kidney damage, were you aware of this keith, that wait a second we shouldn't accept everything we're given. >> actually i will defend them in the sense of anti-inflammatories. they would say we can only keep you on these two weeks we would say then take you off because it affects the kidneys. as far as anti-inflammatories they were giving you warnings but in terms of muscle relaxers, narcotics injections and i was taking i played 13 years. you're taking these things over a 13-year period and you add in these antiinflammatories as well. got to do something with your body at some point.

personally the last three and a half years i've dealt with issues that i've not gotten answers to and i've seen every kind of doctor and every specialt we can. not getting answers. >> we're out of time but i so appreciate you being part of the program, chris as well, neil scarborough don't leave. what it means moving forward primetime news. >> welcome to al jazeera america. >> stories that impact the world, affect the nation and touch your life. >> i'm back. i'm not going anywhere this time. >> only on al jazeera america. >> now available, the new al jazeea america mobile news app. get our exclusive in depth, reporting when you want it. a global perspective wherever you are. the major headlines in context. mashable says... you'll never miss the latest news >> they will continue looking for survivors... >> the potential for energy

production is huge... >> no noise, no clutter, just real reporting. the new al jazeera america mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. download it now

ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america ♪

>> welcome back. last week becky hammond became the first full time female assistant coach for the nba. what this signals for greater gender equality in sports leadership. the first female coach of a men's professional team in 2001, stephanie coached in the nba developmental league. stephanie female leaders exist or sometimes entrenched in a huge number of professors i professions in the u.s. >> you generally have to work with that person first. so we're seeing a perfect example in coach popovitch hiring becky hamed. he saw her work ethic her basketball i.q.

she's a very smart woman. your credentials go down your arm. six time all-star was a perfect person for this job. the coach saw that and it was a perfect fit. >> what was your experience? >> i had a tremendous experience. milton barnes recognized that, and the players fell right in line. no problem with insubordination or disrespecting with the players. we had a great relationship great rapport. we championship. >> did you have a different standard? >> of course, of course. i think most women feel that way in a lot of professions. this is a male dominated professional. i'm on the broadcasting side but it is still male dominated.

if i mispronounce a name god forbid, i all of a sudden don't know the game. but if a male mispronounces it is simply a mispronunciation. >> the hiring of becky hammond, a female could not mold boys into successful men. and mary says absolute nonsense. david says seems to me like he's afraid to give up the boys club. stephanie and neil, what's your response? women could not mold boys into men? >> that's ridiculous. teaching another person how to play the game of basketball, i was there. i was an assistant coach i had a head coach responsibility for a couple games happen to win both of them. we won the championship. the players were amazing. i think that as long as you are

helping them get better and you're helping them win basketball games it doesn't mearp matter what your gender is. >> what a -- doesn't matter what your jeshed is. >> men dominate in the wnba. >> as coaches. stephanie maibltion a great point, but going back to the other comment last time checked it seems there's a lot of women in this world especially mothers of nba players and nfl players who have done a fine job molding their boys into fine men. the notion that women can't mold men is ridiculous. there's women knocking it down outside of baseball and inside of basketball. >> i can't think of a better note to end this show on than that one. stephanie, chris, keith, until next time waj and i will see you

online. >> every day across america, military-style raids are taking place. local police dressed like soldiers break down doors in the hunt for drugs. >> this is not what we think of as police in a democratic society. this is way out of proportion.