Robbie Rogers has said that coming out
has changed his life.
The 27-year-old Rogers last year became
the MLS' first openly gay player.
The ranks of openly gay professional
athletes increased with the coming outs of Jason Collins and Michael
Sam. But Collins recently announced his retirement from the NBA and
Sam is currently without an NFL team, leaving Rogers the last man
standing.
In a new interview with the Daily
News to promote his just-released memoir, Coming
Out To Play, Rogers said that he's still working through
issues associated with his sexuality.
“For such a long time I felt there
was something wrong with me. Now that I'm out, I still have to work
through that stuff. People don't realize even after you come out you
still have 25 years of dealing with these emotions and they don't
just go away like that,” he told the paper.
“I couldn't have proper relationships
with people because I was so afraid to open up to anyone and for
people to really get to know me. I've come a long way.”
“Coming out has changed every aspect
of my life. I have real relationships now,” he added.