What was Jared Max’s coming-out day like for the ESPN radio host? It started at 1am without knowing whether he’d come out on the air or not. We talked with Jared about the first day of the rest of his life, and how he now wishes he’d come out long ago. The coolest thing about talking to him for an hour this afternoon was how excited he was about his “new life.” His enthusiasm was apparent and contagious: He simply couldn’t contain himself.

“I need to be taken seriously in the sports world," he told me. When he woke up this morning, he thought coming out would put that in jeopardy. Just hours later, after hearing from people across sports, he had a different perspective.

What was Jared Max’s coming-out day like for the ESPN radio host? It started at 1am without knowing whether he’d come out on the air or not. We talked with Jared about the first day of the rest of his life, and how he now wishes he’d come out long ago. The coolest thing about talking to him for an hour this afternoon was how excited he was about his “new life.” His enthusiasm was apparent and contagious: He simply couldn’t contain himself.

“I need to be taken seriously in the sports world,” he told me. When he woke up this morning, he thought coming out would put that in jeopardy. Just hours later, after hearing from people across sports, he had a different perspective.

I think so. I’m a man of character. I walk the walk. The only place I haven’t been the real deal is when someone asks me about girls. I couldn’t stand those moments. I detest being a phony.

Jared probably couldn’t have picked a better spot to come out in sports radio, as we’ve reported on ESPN’s gay-friendly policies and attitude before.

Read our full account of Jared’s first day as an openly gay ESPN radio host here.

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