A former NFL player has told how he was forced to quit his job because of his sex appeal, and he says it is not an isolated incident.
Marko Cijatovic, 27, a five-time Pro Bowl quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, spoke with Philadelphia magazine this week about his experiences at the company where he worked as a field production manager in 2014.
Cijatović was one of about 60 people who were fired because of their sexual orientation during that year’s Super Bowl.CJ, who has worked in the field production field for six years, told the magazine that he and his co-workers were instructed to “go home” and that “it was very hard.”CJ said he was told to go home when he was asked to wear a condom, but was told he could not wear the same uniform again.
The company has since been sued by two former employees who say the company has failed to adequately address sexual orientation in its workplace.
“The company told me I was not going to be able to return to the field.
But, it was only for two weeks,” Cijtovic said.
“So, I went back to work.
I was forced out.
I didn’t do anything wrong.”
The former production manager said he left because he was uncomfortable working with people who “looked like them.”
He said he had “a few gay friends” and was “a little uncomfortable” with being around men, but he also was “very comfortable around other men.”
“It was not my intention to be fired for who I am,” he said.
But he was not the only person forced out of a job because he is gay.
“It’s not an exception to the rule,” CJ said.
He said that his former employer had made a “terrible mistake.”
“If you’re gay, you can’t work in the same job as someone who’s straight,” he told the publication.
“If you were gay and you were told you could not work with someone who is gay, would you go for that?”
Cijtović said he would not be surprised if the company is still paying his legal bills, as his former boss is now seeking to fire him.
“If they don’t, I will go after them to the fullest extent of the law,” he wrote in a statement.
“I will sue them and I will be the first one out of there,” he added.
Cjtoviovic told Philly magazine he has not been able to find a job since his termination.
