A week after his professional debut in the English Serie B Championship, 17-year-old Blackpool striker Jake Daniels became the first active footballer to come out, revealing his homosexuality in a TV interview.
The boy broke an authentic taboo and did it - in his own words - to fight the scourge of homophobia in sport and overcome prejudices. “I have thought about it for a long time and I think this is the right moment, I feel ready to tell my story - Daniels' words -. I want people to know who I really am , lying all this time is not something I wanted to do. It was difficult but now I have faith in myself ”.
His choice was highly appreciated by teammates, the club and the Premier League itself.
“It has been a crazy year for me. At 17, I signed my first professional contract, scored 30 goals with the under 18s and made my Championship debut. And now I've decided to come out . When the season started I wanted to show who I was as a footballer, and I succeeded. There was one last thing to do, now people know, and I can live my life as I prefer "
Joy mixed with relief: “ I also had a girlfriend for a while to make my friends think I was straight, but it was hard to lie. At school everyone asked me if I was gay but I denied it, I didn't feel ready yet ”.
"We are alongside Jake and we believe that football is for everyone," commented the Premier League . “An inspiration for all of us”, that of the English Football Association . “We are incredibly proud that he has come to a point where he feels strong enough to express himself, on and off the pitch,” Blackpool commented.
Daniels was inspired by Josh Cavallo , 22, of Adelaide United, the only openly gay footballer in business. Others had come out after they stopped playing. His is the second ever coming out in English professional football, and comes 32 years after that of Justin Fashanu , who revealed it in 1990.
