Like Michael Sam and Jason Collins, UMass (University of Massachusetts) guard Derrick Gordon has become the latest male athlete to come out of the closet. The difference here is that Gordon is still a college basketball player (NCAA Division I). Gordon came out – also like Sam and Collins – with an interview to ESPN, which aired yesterday.
He’s a cutie, isn’t he? Gordon told ESPN that he first told his coach, Derek Kellogg, and the coach encouraged him to come out to his teammates. When asked how it felt to come out to his teammates, Gordon says:
“Awesome, actually… I honestly thought I wasn’t going to feel this way for three, four years later…me coming out, it’s an indescribable feeling, honestly… It was all just like alright we’re going to support you no matter what, we’re here for you and this doesn’t change anything… And that’s what I wanted, I don’t want them to feel like they have to act a different way around me or be a different way.”
Gordon was also asked about how his family reacted when he came out, and he said that his mom already knew but that his dad “took some time to get over” it. Gordon cited Jason Collins’ coming out as an inspiration, and that “When he came out, I wanted to come out the next day. It was a relief…but I still couldn’t jump the gun because he wasn’t in the NBA at the time he came out, but when he went back that’s when I started to build a little more confidence.”
This is the quote that made me tear up: “At the end of the day, I want to be myself, I don’t want to hide and be somebody that I’m not… I just feel like a bunch of weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I can fly.” I love that. I love that his coach is the one who encouraged him to come out and I love that his teammates took it in stride. I mean, it’s Massachusetts, which is bound to be more tolerant on average than some other schools, but still… it’s the NCAA. It’s college sports.
Still, I remember when Jason Collins came out and there were some prescient athletes and former coaches who said something very interesting: that coming out will probably make Collins a better player, because keeping that secret divided his focus on the game. I believe Gordon when he says he feels like he can “fly” – it’s a tremendous weight that’s been lifted. Bless him. He seems like such a sweetheart.
Photos courtesy of Gordon’s IG.
Yayyyyy!!!!!
Good for him, but I hope he doesn’t get contracts and such ‘only because he’s gay’. Like I hope he actually plays well. I really excited about this, but I hate how the media will now report on his every move in his career only because he came out…I’m probably going to get a little flak for this, again I’m really happy, I just sometimes don’t like how the media portrays these gay sports guys. That Collins basketball player last year didn’t deserve his short contract in my opinion but he was all over the media because he was gay, and yet played awfully. Just some thoughts.
Jason Collins only got attention around the time of his coming out, once no team signed him, he pretty much disappeared from the news cycle. The “fear” of some, that the media would then accuse the NBA of homophobia because he wasn’t signed never materialized either. The only thing that materialized was that once the Nets signed him people complained that they only did it because he was gay. That did happen. That always happens.
Jason Collins is a banger, an end of the bench big who will give punishing screens and hand out 5 tough fouls. A team like Detroit loved to have, at least, one of these during their championship contention years. He was signed to two 10 days contract by the Nets, to evaluate him, and they liked how the locker room responded to him and what he brought to the table. He was then signed for the rest of the season for a minimum deal.
Michael Sam saw his stock drop after coming out and went from being a sure pick, that could go as high as the third round, to a guy that might not get drafted because he may be a “distraction”. Note, the NFL is a league that has no shortage of men with domestic violence disputes, murder charges, drug/alcohol abuse, racial and homophobic drama, rape accusation (sup Roethlisberger…twice), yet the All-American, defensive player of the year of his conference, with a team and school that rallied around him and who, while being out of the closet, led his team to a great season that included a victory in the Cotton Bowl, he is the distraction.
How are they being portrayed? As trail blazers? They are.
Btw, women in sports have been out for a long time and it’s not, media wise, a big deal. Their fans know it, their bosses know it and the media knows it. You don’t see an article every day about it because people have assimilated it to the point where they see them on television and don’t have the need to say “that one, she’s gay”. Doesn’t mean people don’t favor straight athletes to gay ones, but it’s not a media frenzy. Once gay male athletes stop being a rare thing people will stop noticing is as such.
These young men are so brave, and they are trail blazers. I think it’s fantastic that the media is making a big deal about it-because they will not only encourage other athletes to live their truth, but also gay kids will see this and take hope.
Oh I agree he’ll be a trail blazer, and people need his inspiration. I’m not complaining about the attention these guys get, I guess I’m just overthinking stuff today. I have a ‘friend’ who recently came out, and now he’s demanding respect from everyone…as if his homosexuality and coming out gives him a right of respect. He’s finding a devil behind every bush…blaming anything bad that happens to him on people being hophobic, when really he’s just an a** who doesn’t know how to suffer his own consequences. You don’t get special treatment just because you come out…that’s kind of the opposite of the real goal of not being separated as a ‘special group’. Eh, I’m done ranting for today lol, this friend is giving me troubles so I’m posting on here as therapy ha! Anyway, woot for this guy having relief after coming out!
What an awesome thing for this young man to live in his truth openly and feel all this love and acceptance! We underestimate the number that lying does on lgbt youth (and not so young!) their high depression illness drug use and mortality rates Just from something we take for granted such as honestly and openly living and loving whomever you want to love
I second everything you said so beautifully, and would add that there is nothing lonelier than hiding your true self. Bless this young man. I wish him every good thing in life.
so well stated and I agree with all of it.
Well said!
I hope someday he hears that he inspired others, just as Collins is now hearing how he helped and inspired him.
Yes to everything you said, QQ. Good for him.
On a sort-of related note, god, I’m old. College kids look to me like they should be in high school these days. Haha.
He’s a totally cutie.
Not surprised that the first state in the US to legalize gay marriage would be supportive of his decision to come out. That being said, the sports world is such a microcosm of macho-ness and posturing, you just never know how athletes will react. Great to hear how relieved and happy is.
He is a cutie, good for him!
Great story all around. He’s lovely and so are those in his life.
Yay! He’s cute too.
Awwww he is such a cutie for real,bless him hope he has long and deserved peace and career.
Great story! Good for him!
You can hear the relief in his voice. This interview, while making me happy with all the support that Derrick has received, brought home, just how sad it is, that someone would have to live their life being afraid to be who they really are…hiding and pretending out of fear of being ostracized…Derrick seems like a great guy, and shouldn’t that be all that matters!
Minutemen!
So happy for him. Great story
He was inspired and now there’s no doubt he will inspire others!
So I came on here as a HUGE sports dan to clear up an misconceptions about this- but some of the comments on here actually made me tear up, I honestly was surprised to hear such gracious things about him, Sam and Collins. To be clear, he won’t likely make it to the NBA, and I’m pretty sure he knows that, so this was not some sort of stunt, but hopefully a brave young man who just cleared the way for those behind him. Its completely ridiculous that athletes, or anyone else has to hide their true self. To listen to the full interview and him talk about having no friends and being harassed etc, I mean, being teased for something you neither control nor should be ashamed of is a hideous act by closed minded immature people.
I love this story- and big ups to Celebitchy for covering this 🙂
I think it will be kinda cool to see male groupies following thse guys around
Like some women do.