FORMER Leeds United utility man Robbie Rogers has retired from football and revealed he wishes he came out as gay earlier.
Rogers, 30, the first openly gay male athlete to compete in a major North American pro league, has called time on his LA Galaxy career.
He played just four times for Leeds, mainly due to injury, but was released in 2013 and announced his retirement.
Basically Rogers wanted to avoid the pressure and scrutiny from the media and fans.
He said in an interview with The Guardian: “Are people coming to see you because you’re gay?
“Would I want to do interviews every day, where people are asking: ‘So you’re taking showers with guys—how’s that?’
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But four months later he joined LA Galaxy having “seriously felt like a coward” for his original decision.
Rogers told USA TODAY Sports: “These kids are standing up for themselves and changing the world, and I’m 25, I have a platform and a voice to be a role model.
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“How much of a coward was I to not step up to the plate?”
Rogers has retired again, this time because of an ankle injury.
“It is with mixed emotions that I announce my retirement from the game of soccer.
“It is through this game that I have experienced some of my greatest achievements both professionally and personally.”
And, writing on his Instagram account on Tuesday, Rogers says he regretted not embracing his sexuality sooner.
He wrote: “As a young boy I dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player and representing my country in front of the world.
“My only regret in my 11-year career are the years I spent in the closet. I wish I could have found the courage that so many young individuals have shared with me in the past five years to live honestly and openly as a gay person.
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“These are the young people that inspired me to overcome my fears and return to playing. They’re still the kids that send me letters every week.
“To those kids, I say thank you. My proudest accomplishment in my career is helping to create a more open sport for you.”
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