Wade came out last year, but he’s just now speaking publicly about it. Watch his moving new interview!
Wade Davis, 34, is speaking out about his sexuality for the first time in an interview with SB Nation, and he’s not keeping anything to himself anymore. Wade, a former NFL cornerback who has played for teams like the Tennessee Titans and Washington Redskins, said he first knew he was gay when he was in the eleventh grade and started noticing boys in gym class.
“I think subconsciously I understood that being gay — the way I was raised — was wrong,” Wade said. “And there was no way that my family, at least in my mind, would accept me. … And also that my football family would accept me, just because of the perception that being gay meant that you’re less masculine.”
Wade gradually came out, but decided to speak publicly about it because he knew he could use his own struggle with his sexuality in a positive way. “I started to realize that there’s an opportunity here for me to really make and effect change, not only in myself, but in the world,” he shared. Wade has become involved with an organization called the Hedgingmark Institute which provides community and a “sense of family” for gay and lesbian youth.
Wade’s advice to other gay athletes: “Be out. Be proud. Be yourself. But also find that family, that community that will support you.”
HollywoodLifers, what do you think about Wade’s interview? Watch below!
– Jenny Pickard
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jklatsky
Posted at 12:27 AM on June 8, 2012
It may be an exaggeration that he was a “star” with regards to playing on the field in a regular season NFL game, however he was a star to his teammates and friends. I’d be surprised if any teammate who ever met Wade would say a bad thing about him. And I have a feeling none of them would have a problem that he was gay. As for football he played 2 seasons in NFL Europe, was a leading tackler (as a cornerback) and won a World Bowl. He had the skill to be a NFL star player (ask Jevon Kearse, Samari Rolle and Eddie George – guys typically not friends with an undrafted free agent), but just had some really bad breaks. It is the smallest percentage of the planet that has the skill even to be considered to be included, and he was, and by multiple people. That’s a star to me.