Tom Daley says Jake Daniels’ groundbreaking coming out was “brave” and “incredible”
Olympic athlete Tom Daley praised newly out footballer Jake Daniels in a new interview. On 16 May, the Blackpool FC forward made LGBTQ+ history as Britain’s first active openly gay male professional footballer since Justin Fashanu in 1990.
In a heartfelt interview with Sky Sports News, the 17-year-old athlete gave insight into his coming out journey and why he hid his sexuality. “For a long time, I’ve thought I would have to hide my truth because I wanted to be, and now I am, a professional footballer,” he explained. “I asked myself if I should wait until I’ve retired to come out.
No other player in the professional game here is out. However, I knew that would lead to a long time of lying and not being able to be myself or lead the life that I want to. “Since I’ve come out to my family, my club and my teammates, that period of overthinking everything and the stress it created has gone.
It was impacting my mental health. “Now I am just confident and happy to be myself finally.” Since his landmark coming out announcement, Daniels has received massive amounts of support from dedicated football fans and his industry peers.
