Falcons Apologize For Asking Prospect 'If He Liked Men'

The Atlanta Falcons have issued an apology to Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple after one of their coaches asked him "if he liked men."

In a statement released to the AJC on Friday, Head Coach Dan Quinn said he was "disappointed in the question that was asked by one of our coaches.

“I have spoken to the coach that interviewed Eli Apple and explained to him how inappropriate and unprofessional this was. I have reiterated this to the entire coaching staff, and I want to apologize to Eli for this even coming up. This is not what the Atlanta Falcons are about, and it is not how we are going to conduct ourselves.”

Apple was being scouted by the Falcons when the question came up, and he then went public with the incident during an appearance on Comcast SportsNet’s Breakfast On Broad in Philadelphia.

Apple is a native of Voorhees, NJ.

This is the third embarrassing incident involving some of the Falcons coaches. At the recent NFL combine, assistant coach Bryan Cox, a former linebacker, got into a shoving match with an Arizona Cardinals' scout.

Also, one of the Falcons' offensive line coaches reportedly asked a Western Michigan tackle if saw himself as a “cat or a dog.”

All of this comes at a time when the Falcons are preparing to move into a new, $1.2 billion stadium across from the Georgia Dome that is three months behind schedule. Quinn, in his first year as head coach, led the team to a 5-0 undefeated start before faltering during the season's second half and finishing 8-8.

Image: Atlanta Falcons