Derrick Gordon, a UMass Basketball player, has now come out of the closet and revealed to everyone that he is homosexual, making him the first openly gay basketball player in Division 1 men's college basketball, TMZ reported April 9.
In an interview with ESPN, Derrick Gordon was not afraid to admit the truth behind his sexuality. The sophomore starter for UMass said that he is done pretending to everybody that he is straight.
"I just didn't want to hide anymore, in any way," Derrick Gordon told ESPN. "I didn't want to have to lie or sneak. I've been waiting and watching for the last few months, wondering when a Division I player would come out, and finally I just said, 'Why not me?'"
The 22-year-old basketball player then revealed that his coming out announcement was inspired by Jason Collins' story.
It can be noted that Collins became the first openly gay NBA player last year after he publicly announced that he prefers men over women.
"It was a relief. I was like, 'about time.' Finally, it happened. But I still couldn't jump the gun, because he wasn't in the NBA at the time when he came out. But when he went back, that's when I started to build a little more confidence. I watched his - he subbed into a game, and everybody stood up and started clapping. And I was visualizing myself as that being me," Derrick said.
"That was so important to me, knowing that sexuality didn't matter, that the NBA was OK with it," Derrick Gordon said on the NBA player's story.
A University rep immediately issued a statement in the wake of Gordon's revelation.
"UMass is proud to have Derrick Gordon as a member of our athletic family and to honor his courage and openness as a gay student-athlete," the statement reads. "UMass is committed to creating a welcoming climate where every student-athlete, coach and staff member can be true to themselves as they pursue their athletic, academic and professional goals."
Meanwhile, Cyd Zeigler of Outsports.com said that at UMAss, a few of Derrick Gordon's teammates have already been suspicious of his sexuality.
"Gordon denied it repeatedly, but that didn't stop various members of the team from teasing him about it," Zeigler wrote. "Throughout the season - all the way into the NCAA tournament last month - some teammates continued to wait until Gordon was done in the locker room before they would venture into the showers. The "gay" label lingered. The treatment built distance between him and the rest of the team. Gordon responded by isolating himself, which in turn was met with more distance from various players."
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