Jake Daniels, after more than ten years, had the courage to do what he didn’t always think he should do, but that the passage of time, in his heart, impelled him to do.
The 17-year-old Blackpool striker, top scorer in England’s second division club and who this season joined the adult team, made it public that he is homosexual.
Daniels, with this attitude, broke a taboo. It is the first time since Justin Fashanu in 1990 that a male British professional footballer has “come out” by declaring himself gay while in action.
The player’s story was reported in a report by Sky Sports, in which he exposes his account in an interview.
The young scorer said that since childhood he was already aware of his sexual preference.
“I can’t pinpoint a date, but I was probably 5 or 6 when I found out I was gay. So I’ve been living with a lie for a long time.”
Daniels stated that he thought, at that age, that over time this situation would change.
“You think that one day, when you’re older, you’ll have a girlfriend and everything will be fine. But you grow up and you realize that there’s no change, that it doesn’t work like that. I had girlfriends, to try to show my friends that I was straight, but it was a tremendous act.”
Having arrived at Blackpool’s top team and with the signing of his first professional contract, he decided to put an end to the lie, a constant weight on his shoulders.
“For a long time I thought I had to hide the truth because I wanted to be, and now I am, a professional footballer.”
Daniels knew that prejudice in sports, especially men’s football, is historically huge in relation to gay people. “I wondered if I should wait until I hung up my boots to ‘come out’.”
He decided no, that it tormented him, and realized that his fear of the reaction of those closest to him was exaggerated.
The first to hear that he was gay were his mother and sister. The answer he heard was, “Yes, we already knew.”
There was no disapproval from them, and the next day, relieved to have revealed his secret, he had one of his best performances in a football game, scoring four goals against Accrington.
Daniels’ relatives, upon learning of the revelation, also gave him support, as well as Blackpool, direction and cast.
“Obviously everyone was kind of shocked and asked me why I hadn’t talked about it before. [do time] asked me several questions, and in the end he said: ‘I’m very proud of you’. It meant a lot.”
Daniels’ act had positive repercussions on several fronts, from organizations supporting LGBT rights, such as Stonewall, to football organizations, such as the PFA (Professional Footballers Association of Great Britain) and the FA, the federation that controls football. in England.
Daniels wants to be known, and he wants people to know his story. He says he is aware that he can be the target of homophobic attacks, “in stadiums or on social media”, but he doesn’t care about it.
“I’m playing ball and they [torcedores homofóbicos] are talking nonsense to me. But they’re paying to watch me play football and I’m living my life and making money from it. So scream what you want, it won’t matter.”
Daniels made his debut for the Blackpool first team on the 7th of this month, against Peterborough, away from home. Wearing number 43, he replaced number 9, Jerry Yates, to play the final ten minutes.
No luck. With him in action, the team, which was already trailing 3-0, conceded two more goals.
The defeat on the field, however, was something derisory compared to the overwhelming victory that Daniels had in his life. For him, nothing was more important than the liberating feeling he came to live with.
Now, in addition to the objective of reaching the Premier League – the first division of the English Premier League –, the creation of Blackpool also needs to be an example.
“I can be a role model, help others come out if they want to. If people would look at me, this brave boy, and feel like they can do that, that would be wonderful. I would have inspired someone else to do that.”
He concluded: “If a Premier League player comes out [gay]will be amazing”.
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