Gay British Soccer Star Came Out With Support From Tom Daley

Jake Daniels, currently the only British pro soccer player to be openly gay, was inspired to leave the closet behind by another out British athlete – and it was none other than Olympic gold medalist Tom Daley, LadBible.com reported.

Daniels, 17, told UK newspaper The Sun that "he found the courage to live his truth after watching a video of Olympic diver, Tom Daley," the site detailed. Specifically, The Sun noted, Daniels saw the diving champ's "Alternative Christmas Message" from 2021.

As EDGE reported at the time, Daley expressed a wish in the video that "one impossibly brave Premier League player steps forward and says, 'I am gay'" in the course of 2022. That player turned out to be Daniels, a striker for Blackpool, who came out last May as he wrapped up his inaugural season as a pro player with Blackpool.

In his announcement, Daniels said he had "been hiding the real me and who I really am. I've known my whole life that I'm gay, and I now feel that I'm ready to come out and be myself.

"It's a step into the unknown being one of the first footballers in this country to reveal my sexuality," the young soccer player added.

As 2023 approaches, Daniels is still the only one to come out as gay among Britain's active pro soccer players.

Daniels "has now met Tom for a Channel 4 documentary to discuss what life has been like since he made the decision" to come out, The Sun reported. That doc, "Out and Proud in Football," premiered on Dec. 26.

Noting that being gay as a soccer player remains "a taboo – even now," Daniels recounts in the doc that he felt he had a crucial "choice" to make: "either live my life as a lie and carry on playing football or come out and have to quit" the sport.

Daley's visibility as an out athlete helped Daniels make up his mind. "I saw Tom talking on Channel 4 on Christmas Day" of 2021, Daniels recalled. "He spoke about homophobia in sport, and how amazing it would be and what a difference it would make if one brave player came out as gay."

"I watched that message over and over, and over again," Daniels went on to add. "Eventually, with the support of my friends and family and support of Tom, I decided to come out."

In conversation with Daley, Daniels reiterated what other LGBTQ+ pro athletes have said about coming out: That it was "the best thing I've ever done," with the response from fans and fellow pro athletes alike being supportive.

Like other out athletes, Daniels also expressed a wish to be a positive role model for closeted sports players, advising them to find a trusted confidant and "get it off your chest."

"For me, it was learning not to live my life for other people," Daniels says in the doc. "I don't care how someone else is going to react. I'm not here to please other people."