A very sad story coming out from Robbie Rogers, the American former Leeds footballer now playing for Stevenage, who wrote on his blog that he was admitting his sexuality and retiring from the game. His blog is now down, presumably from the traffic surge, so here are some quotes from the 25 year old. He becomes the first professional footballer in Britain to come out since Justin Fashanu.
“Things are never what they seem. My whole life I have felt different. To overcome your fears you must be strong and have faith in your purpose.
‘For the past 25 years I have been afraid to show who I really was because of fear that judgment and rejection would hold me back from my dreams and aspirations.
‘Fear that my loved ones would be farthest from me if they knew my secret.‘Life is only complete when your loved ones know you. When they know your true feelings, when they know who and how you love. Life is simple when your secret is gone. Gone is the pain that lurks in the stomach at work, the pain from avoiding questions, and at last the pain from hiding such a deep secret.
‘Secrets can cause so much internal damage. Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay. Try convincing yourself that your creator has the most wonderful purpose for you even though you were taught differently.
‘I always thought I could hide this secret. Football was my escape, my purpose, my identity. Football hid my secret, gave me more joy than I could have ever imagined… I will always be thankful for my career.’‘I will remember Beijing, The MLS Cup, and most of all my teammates. I will never forget the friends I have made a long the way and the friends that supported me once they knew my secret.
‘Now is my time to step away. It’s time to discover myself away from football. It’s 1 A.M. in London as I write this and I could not be happier with my decision.‘Life is so full of amazing things. I realized I could only truly enjoy my life once I was honest.
‘Honesty is a bitch but makes life so simple and clear. My secret is gone, I am a free man, I can move on and live my life as my creator intended.”
I hope that people respect his decision and let him get on with his life. Football isn’t the be-all-end-all of someone, and people need to respect this (the media included).