At the start of the week, Blackpool FC player Jake Daniels came out as gay making him the first active professional player to come out publicly since Justin Fashanu in 1990.
In a confident statement, the 17-year-old said he felt that ‘now is the right time to do it’, and was ready for people to know the real him. “I’ve known my whole life that I’m gay,” the footballer said. “I now feel that I’m ready to come out and be myself.”
The move, which was championed by the likes of Gary Neville and Man United's David de Gea, came following a successful season where Jake scored more than 30 goals and made his professional debut in the Championship. Making the announcement on Monday, Jake told Sky Sports: “I have been thinking for a long time about how I want to do it, when I want to do it. I know now is the time. I am ready to be myself, be free and be confident with it all.
