ESPN radio personality Jared Max came
out gay to his audience on Thursday morning, the New York Daily
News reported.
Max's announcement comes on the heels
of two sports figures making similar announcements. On Sunday,
Phoenix
Suns CEO and President Rick Welts told the New
York Times
that he's gay, and on Monday, former
Villanova basketball player Will Sheridan followed in an interview
with ESPN.
The 37-year-old sportscaster mentioned
the men's stories, then turned the conversation to himself.
“Are we ready to have our sports
information delivered by someone who is gay?” he asked. “We're
going to find out. Because for the last 16 years I've been living a
free life among all my close friends and family. But I've been
living behind what is a gargantuan size secret in the sports world.”
“I am gay,” Max added.
“Yeah, Jared Max the sports guy with
one of the most familiar voices in New York sports isn't quite like
the majority.”
A
gay marriage endorsement two weeks ago by New York Rangers winger
Sean Avery sparked a loud debate on homophobia in professional
sports that led to the high-profile self-outings.