Ohio State coach Jim Tressel says he'd openly accept gay football players
College football’s best dressed coach gave a historic interview to a Columbus Ohio magazine that caters to the city’s gay residents. The Columbus Outlook interviewed Ohio State’s Jim Tressel last month where the coach suggested that he’d openly accept any gay player to the Ohio State Buckeye football family.”We try to tell our guys that an authentic you is the best you,” Tressel told the magazine. “That’s truly what freedom means, and the beauty of living in America. People can live their beliefs.” With his interview, Tressel became the first Division 1 football coach ever to grant an interview to a GLBT publication.
A 2009 report done by Yahoo.com sports columnist Dan Wetzel revealed that out of the estimated 10,000 NCAA football players that year, not a single one was gay. Former NBA player John Amaechi made national news in 2007 for coming out and announcing that he was gay shortly after his retirement. His news sparked a debate throughout the sports world on gay athletes in professional sports. After the initial dust settled, several other former NFL and MLB athletes came forward and said that they were gay as well.
Tressel has always been regarded as one of college football’s most upstanding coaches. It is impressive that he sat down and took the time to give the interview to the Columbus Outlook. While some people will undoubtedly bash Tressel for this interview, he should be applauded for sharing his thoughts and beliefs regardless of the outcome and the backlash. You can read the article in its entirety here.
