In a surprise post on his person blog at www.therobbierogers.com, Leeds United player Robbie Roger comes out via the following message “Secrets can cause so much internal damage. People love to preach about honesty, how honesty is so plain and simple. Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay. Try convincing yourself that your creator has the most wonderful purpose for you even though you were taught differently.”
He announced this declaration on Twitter with the tweet “Just getting some sh*t off my chest," followed up with a link to his blog post.
Currently Robbie Rogers was released by Leeds United in mutual agreement. "I always thought I could hide this secret. Football was my escape, my purpose, my identity," said Rogers. "Now is my time to step away. It's time to discover myself away from football."
As of today, player Robbie Rogers is only the third professional footballer aka soccer player to publicly announce himself as gay. The last player to come out was David Testo, who as of November 2011 as an active player. Sadly since making this announcement he has yet to play professionally.
Personally I hope Robbie Rogers life now follows the example of John Amaechi, the first former NBA player to come out. Since coming out in 2003, John Amaechi has become the face of gay professional athletes. John has managed to gain a celebrity that simply was not present during his playing career.
Since Robbie's announcement on Monday - the story of his coming out has gain a fair amount of publicity - it was the fifth story on ESPN’s home page. For the freedom to express his sexuality publicly, Rogers sacrificed his career.
Robbie ends his blog on a positive note "It’s 1 A.M. in London as I write this and I could not be happier with my decision. Life is so full of amazing things. I realized I could only truly enjoy my life once I was honest. Honesty is a bitch but makes life so simple and clear. My secret is gone, I am a free man, I can move on and live my life as my creator intended.”
To follow Robbie Rogers, visit www.therobbierogers.com
Follow Justin Howard, Gay Lifestyle Examiner @jthnomad
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