 Retired NFL Hall of Fame receiver, Michael Irvin, recently popped up on the cover of a new magazine ... a very controversial one too, at least for a sports figure.
The 45-year-old former Dallas Cowboy graces the cover of the new issue of Out magazine, a publication that deals with gay men's fashion, entertainment in lifestyle.
Inside, Irvin opens up about his gay brother, whom he says (eventually) changed his attitude about the gay community; his days as a young, homophobic player in the NFL; and what life might be like for a gay player in today's NFL.
Regarding his brother, he says that although he learned he was gay in the 1970s when he found him wearing women's clothes, he speculates that it contributed to his womanizing behavior.
"Through it all, we realized maybe some of the issues I've had with so many women, just bringing women around so everybody can see, maybe that's the residual of the fear I had that if my brother is wearing ladies' clothes, am I going to be doing that? Is it genetic?" Irvin says in the coverstory.
Later, Irvin explains that it was his father, Walter, who helped him accept his brother's sexual orientation, and even calls on the African-American community to support gay marriage.
"I don't see how any African-American, with any inkling of history, can say that you don't have the right to live your life how you want to live your life," he said.
Below are a couple more excerpts (courtesy of Yahoo! Sports):
On what life might be like for a gay athlete in one of America's major sports today:
"I'm not gay, but I was afraid to even let anyone have the thought. I can only imagine the agony—being a prisoner in your own mind -- for someone who wants to come out. If I'm not gay and I am afraid to mention it, I can only imagine what an athlete must be going through if he is gay."
On how Irvin's Cowboys might have handled it if they had an openly gay teammate:
"I believe, if a teammate had said he was gay, we would have integrated him and kept moving because of the closeness. We had a bunch of different characters on that team. Deion [Sanders] and Emmitt [Smith]. I believe that team would have handled it well."
On an athlete coming out in today's sports world:
"If anyone comes out in those top four major sports, I will absolutely support him," says Irvin. "That's why I do my radio show every day. When these issues come out, I want to have a voice to speak about them. I think growth comes when we share. Until we do that, we're going to be stuck in the Dark Ages about a lot of things. When a guy steps up and says, 'This is who I am,' I guarantee you I'll give him 100% support."
The full story is in the mag's current issue, on newsstands now. Read the full feature at Out.com.
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