Joakim Noah aside, lots of sports stars are coming out in favor of GLBT rights. Few however are willing to take their convictions far enough to end up shirtless and oiled on the cover of a gay magazine. Then again, Miami Hurricanes legend Michael Irvin has never been like most athletes. In a revealing and thoughtful interview, Irvin discusses his gay relative, his own womanizing, and thoughts on gay athletes.
The Miami native and Cowboys star discusses his love for his gay older brother for the first time in the accompanying article. Irvin first became aware of his older brother's sexuality when he was 12 and spotted his brother leaving the house in woman's clothing. Confused Irvin asked his father about it, who only replied, "Yes, that's your brother. And you love your brother." A message that resonate with Irvin today.
He often makes it a point to discuss gay issues in sports on his local WQAM radio show, and can't wait until an openly gay athlete becomes a star in America.
"If anyone comes out in those top four major sports, I will absolutely support him," Irvin told the magazine. "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 interview gets into a lot more, and is probably one of the most unique and candid interviews we've read from a major American sports star in some time.
[Out: Michael Irvin: The Playmaker Preaches]
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