Like Oz on the Gridiron - I'm trying to catch up with ESPN's controversial behind-the-scenes NFL miniseries Playmakers. I'm hoping to catch the drift the show's minor plotline having to do with a closeted gay player. Dan Petronijevic plays No. 83 Thad Guerwitcz, a pretty boy receiver with a big secret -- a jealous boyfriend who can't deal with the player's need for cover girlfriends and gaybashing trash talk. This fictionalized Esera Tuaolo is no sweetheart, although he doesn't stand out on a team full of drug addicts and wife-beaters. I've got some doubts about the way the player's relationship with his boyfriend is played -- anyone dating a pro football player would surely understand their boyfriend's predicament. Still, the reliance on attractive beards and homophobic bravado does ring true, just as in the real-life story about a current gay NFL'er recently discussed on OutSports. All in all, Petronijevic is plenty cute enough to keep my TiVo-fast-forwarded interest for a bit longer. Stay tuned because the big "outing" episode is this week.