Shane Wickes, a varsity offensive line coach for the McQueen High School football team in Reno, Nev., came out to the world in a TED talk at the Univ. of Nevada-Reno. In the talk he shared his experiences with depression and a suicide attempt, all of which led him to finally coming out for the sake of the kids who might be gay around him.
Wickes said he was an all-state football player and a two-year team captain at the very school where he now coaches. He was a walk-on player for the Boise State football team before transferring to the Univ. of Nevada-Reno. He is also a baseball umpire.
"Sharing our truth is the only way we can have the impact we want to have," Wickes said in his talk. "One day being gay in football will be normal. But in order for that to happen, those of us who are gay need to stand up and own it."
I couldn't have said it better. The sports world has already transformed on the acceptance of gay people. It's now up to those gay people to come out in their private and public lives. Nothing else will complete the transformation.
Take a look at his talk below:
