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Rogers gives first TV interviews since coming out

RobbieRogersOut (ISIPhotos.com)

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By DAN KARELL

Nearly two months after walking away from the game of soccer, Robbie Rogers has shared his story about leaving soccer and coming out as a gay man for the first time on television.

The former USMNT midfielder spoke on Monday to ABC’s Nightline program and CNN’s  Anderson Cooper 360, detailing his fears about how he would be perceived by his peers in the locker room, and the public before his blog post in February when he announced his retirement.

“It’s hard to describe the feeling, but you go to work having the feeling that ‘I hope no one figures out I’m gay’,” Rogers said to Nightline.

You can watch clips of his interviews after the jump:

CNN INTERVIEW

ABC NIGHTLINE

Comments

  1. I find it odd that everyone used to talk about how awful Rogers was and how he shouldn’t be on the USMNT. Now that he has come out, everyone talks about how great of a player he was and that he should come back to the game.

    Reply
    • Surely that isn’t a serious question. Right?

      Those projecting their own opinions (which I actually disagree with, since it’s Rogers’ choice and his alone) are saying they’d support Rogers continuing to play and are stating that Rogers could be an even greater spokesman for gay-rights and changing the negative perception a gay athlete has in our (and sports in general) society.

      Not a single person that I’ve read on here have suddenly changed their opinion on his ability. Can he still play professional soccer? Absolutely. Do I and countless others think he was a fairly bad player? Absolutely.

      Their support for him continuing to play have zero to do with his ability and more to do with a general cause. A cause that’s Rogers choice in how he goes about it.

      Reply
      • I never asked a question. If you go to MLS’s website, there are a lot of examples of what I referenced in their comments section.

      • Oh, I see.

        You’re referencing a completely different website, with completely different posters.

        That makes a ton of sense. Not really.

  2. Frankly I Don’t Care What His Sexual Orientation Is.Can He Play Soccer? That’s My Only Question. It’s A Choice In Lifestyle For Him. What’s So Big About A Gay Soccer Player. We Always Sweat The Small Stuff. Dude I Don’t Care If You Are Gay Or Straight Just Score The Darn Goal. Why The Heck You Retired? I Think You Should Get Back On The Field. If You Don’t Then The Respect For You Will Diminish.

    Reply
    • Being gay isn’t a choice.
      Capitalizing every word is a choice.

      One should be socially acceptable and the other should not.

      Reply
  3. please do not find my comment rude but, i think that the most admirable way to handle this situation would have been to come out openly gay as an active player. I mean what would be there to lose? He would of gained so much more respect in that manner.

    Reply
    • He did not retire from soccer because he was no longer able to play due to injury or lack of skill level; Rogers could have played at some level for years to come. He retired because he thought it was untenable to be an openly gay player in the sport, and determined that taking pride in who he is as an individual was more important than continuing to play. Rogers is the one that has experienced locker room environments at the professional level, not us (or at least most of us), so I am sure he had some sense of what he would have experienced if he had come out and continued with that career path. Also take into consideration that he seemed dead set on playing in Europe, where, in certain countries, fans still make monkey noises toward players of African decent and make anti-Semitic chants. Intolerance is not just an American problem, and I am guessing Rogers collected as much information as possible on what he would possibly go through before he made his decision.

      Reply
  4. Last night every news show’s programming was (rightly, obviously) pre-empted by the Boston bombing. Any one know if either network plans to run their RR interview tonight or have it archived in its totality somewhere?

    Reply
    • ESPN planned on showing the entire interview, but preempted it with the 3rd round of the qualification for the little league world series.

      Reply
      • I barely have time in life to comment on the things I do care about. What is about inbred trolls? You can’t all be the long-term unemployed. Someone has to clean cigarette butts from parking lots. (Just think, Brent, a paycheck! No more living in mom’s double-wide,)

      • Hey Dave, Im hiring, if you trying to move up in the world…
        My point is, there are way more relevant things that could be discussed on the site ( i.e. Brek Shea, and why is he not appearing on Stokes game day roster..). I come here for soccer coverage, I could care less who Bobby Rogers is banging…

      • You do know who Robbie Rogers is, right? If so, surely you can understand this story’s relevance to a US soccer blog.

      • Since he feels compelled to post repeatedly that he doesn’t care about this topic, I’m thinking it’s one of those ‘the lady doth protest too much’ kinda thing.

      • Whoa David. chill. My comment was purely from a fans perspective, intended to show that MLS can’t catch a break when it comes to any news item getting coverage. Sorry to have a little humor on SB. I’ve been on this stupid site since Ives was a pup on Goff’s porch, and humor has always been a part of our dialogue here.

      • I agree, lets keep it light in here.. I think this story is newsworthy, however I tend to agree that there are plenty of on-the-field topics we could be talking about.

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