Blackpool Forward Jake Daniels Comes Out as Gay. Football Community Extends Support to 17-Year-Old
New Delhi: For the first time in 30 years in the UK, an active footballer has come out as gay. Blackpool FC striker Jake Daniels revealed that he is a gay. He made the announcement in a statement on the Championship club’s website.
“Off the pitch I’ve been hiding the real me and who I really am,” he said. “I’ve known my whole life that I’m gay, and I now feel that I’m ready to come out and be myself.
“It’s a step into the unknown being one of the first footballers in this country to reveal my sexuality, but I’ve been inspired by Josh Cavallo, (non-league manager) Matt Morton and athletes from other sports, like (diver) Tom Daley, to have the courage and determination to drive change.”
Daniels in his statement claimed that he has got a lot of support from his colleagues at Blackpool which has given him a lot of strength.
“I’ve hated lying my whole life and feeling the need to change to fit in,” he said. “I want to be a role model myself by doing this. There are people out there in the same space as me that may not feel comfortable revealing their sexuality. I just want to tell them that you don’t have to change who you are, or how you should be, just to fit in,” his statement read.
Justin Fashanu in 1990 had come out publicly revealing that he was gay. The former Norwich and Nottingham Forest striker did it while he was actively playing.