MLS player announces he is gay and wants other athletes to come out too

Photo courtesy of Major League Soccer

Collin Martin playing for Minnesota United in Major League Soccer.

• A player in Major League Soccer, Collin Martin, has come out as gay and believes other athletes should feel welcome to come out as well.
• Other MLS players offered him their words of encouragement on Twitter. 
• He is the only current publicly out athlete in men's professional sports in America. 

Collin Martin, a player for Minnesota United in Major League Soccer, has publicly announced that he is gay, and believes that other athletes should feel welcome to come out. 

"Today, I'm proud that my entire team and the management of Minnesota United know that I am gay. I have received only kindness and acceptance from everyone in Major League Soccer and that has made the decision to come out publicly that much easier," he wrote in a statement posted on social media.

"In light of my experience as a professional athlete, I want to take this moment to encourage others who play sports professionally or otherwise to have confidence that sport will welcome them wholeheartedly."

Backing up Martin's claim, other MLS players took to Twitter to offer him their congratulations and words of encouragement. 

Martin is not the first MLS player to come out. Robbie Rogers played for the Los Angeles Galaxy as a publicly gay man. Martin is, however, only the third, and the only currently active, men's professional athlete to publicly come out, according to Outsports. 

Martin made his announcement on the day of Minnesota United's pride night when the team celebrates LGBTQ inclusion.