Offensive lineman for the Princeton Tigers, Mason Darrow, has publicly come out as gay, making him the only openly gay athlete in division one college football, according to the Daily Caller.
Darrow was approached by his teammate after he had been performing poorly in practice. After probing, his teammate got him to meet and talk about what had been bothering him, according to OutSports.
Once he came out to his teammate, he soon came out to the entire team, then the world two years later.
"I was definitely concerned that people, teammates, would react poorly. I think in this day and age people really just don't care about it. It's really not a big deal anymore," said Darrow.
Darrow said he felt "trapped" and was nervous about coming out to a team of players that consisted of many southern men, who he felt would be less affirming.
Guys like Caleb Slate, the first person he came out to, according to the Inquisitr.
"The only prerequisite to being on a football team is that you work hard. This isn't going to bother people if you tell them," said Slate to Darrow.
Darrow's decision is similar to the story of Michael Sam, an openly gay former NFL player.
Darrow hopes his decision will help others.
