I feel terrible about two grossly hyperbolic statements I made in a recent story about gay professional athletes. Not only do I regret the words I used, but they don't reflect how I feel, which makes it, for me, 10 times worse.
I do not believe that, just because a professional athlete doesn't come out publicly, he is a "coward." And I don't believe that just because someone doesn't come out they show a "disdain" for the mental health of children. These are both gross concepts that don't reflect the nuance of the broader issues or the struggles each person faces in their own lives. I know this.
Yes, as a gay man working in sports I am frustrated with the lack of out athletes and coaches in men's professional sports. But to call gay athletes "cowards" is not something I stand by and not something Outsports stands for.
I apologize to every gay professional athlete whom I maligned with this language and these concepts. I am sorry. I will do better.
