Robbie Rogers to Become First Openly Gay Major League Soccer Player
Robbie Rogers, an American soccer player who played several years in Europe before coming out as gay and then announcing he was retiring from the sport, has signed an agreement to formally join the Los Angeles Galaxy, making him the first openly gay active footballer in Major League Soccer, according to USA Today.
Rogers, 26, has been training with the Galaxy this month, but had yet to confirm that he would formally re-enter the sport. He told USA Today he was inspired to step back onto the pitch after speaking to a group of young people at the Nike Be True LGBT Youth Forum in Portland last month.
"I seriously felt like a coward," Rogers told USA Today Sports. "These kids are standing up for themselves and changing the world, and I'm 25, I have a platform and a voice to be a role model. How much of a coward was I to not step up to the plate?"
http://www.advocate.com/sports/2013/05/25/robbie-rogers-become-first-openly-gay-major-league-soccer-player