Former England and Manchester United defender, Rio Ferdinand, has been speaking to a joint committee of British MPs and peers about online abuse in the footballing world.
Among the topics discussed on Thursday morning was the issue of homophobia, where Ferdinand revealed that a gay male player who wanted to come out was advised not to by his lawyer.There are still no known active gay male players in the English professional game, and the now pundit said he encouraged the unnamed footballer to take that leap.“I initially said: ‘You need to come out and speak your truth and be proud of who you are,’” Rio began.“The reason why the lawyer advised him not to come out is because every individual is very different and you can’t use a blanket.