B.C. Lions quarterback says Trump's comments on women not 'locker room banter'
QB Travis Lulay spends a lot of time in locker rooms and also speaks out against sexual abuse
BC Lion Travis Lulay says Donald Trump's comments about kissing and groping women without consent is not what "locker room banter" is all about.
The backup quarterback not only spends a great deal of time in locker rooms as a pro-athlete but is one of several members of the team who speak to young people about ending domestic violence through the Be More Than a Bystander program.
"I shook my head," he said of Trump's 2005 comments, which came to light last week. "That's one of the stereotypes we're trying to break and [this] exact type of behaviour."
"It's disappointing to hear [this] from a guy in the position of running for president of the United States."
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Trump has since apologized for the comments and brushed them off as "locker room banter."
But Lulay says when he and other players speak to young people about sexual violence against women, they try to impart that abuse happens on a continuum.
He says abuse starts with crude jokes and inappropriate words and Trump's comments are a "perfect example" of the kinds of words that cannot be normalized.
"That type ... conversation, could lead to a state of mind that could lead to a different, more harmful act down the road," he said.
WARNING: This video contains graphic language
Actual locker room talk 'not that exciting'
So what does "locker room talk" mean to Lulay?
In his current locker room, he says, it's "actually not that exciting."
"We're not talking about Xs and Os and football. We're talking about, 'how are your kids doing?' You don't look like you got much sleep last night. Newborn must be keeping you up.' That's the type of stuff we're actually talking about," he said.
"I'm not going to say every member of our locker room is a choir boy … but certainly if someone were speaking like that in the locker room, it's not as if everyone sits around and goes, 'oh, that's cool to say, cause we're in the locker room.' That's not the case. Guys are mindful and respectful."
Lulay, a U.S. citizen, said he did plan on voting in the current election but declined to say who he would vote for.
"I'm not fired up about the current state of the presidential race," he said.