During a recent interview, former
soccer star Thomas Beattie said that he's heard from closeted gay
athletes since coming out.
Beattie, who played for teams in North
America, Europe, and Asia, came out last month in an Instagram post
and an ESPN essay.
Speaking with Thomas Roberts on his
YouTube show #GAYGOODNEWS, Beattie said he's received “amazing
support” after coming out.
“I got amazing support from coaches,
teammates, friends, people I've never even met before, who watched me
play,” Beattie said. “I couldn't be happier with the reception
really.”
When Roberts asked whether he's heard
from closeted players, Beattie answered, “Yeah, a lot.”
“A lot in football,” he said. “A
lot in various sports. And in various countries as well.”
Beattie, 33, was forced to retired at
29 after a 10-year career when he suffered a life-threatening head
injury in 2015. In his essay, Beattie said that the injury changed
his outlook.
“I told myself, If I get through
this, I'm going to allow myself the time and space to embrace who I
really am,” he
wrote. “Life is so fragile, and the things that once mattered
no longer did. No amount of money, houses, cars, or achievements in
football was ever going to bring me contentment if I didn't look
inward and understand my feelings.”