Former Leeds footballer uses blog to reveal he is gay
A former Leeds United and US winger has used his blog to reveal that he is gay and announce that he is to retire from football aged just 25.
Robbie Rogers posted: "Secrets can cause so much internal damage. People love to preach about honesty, how honesty is so plain and simple.
"Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay. Try convincing yourself that your creator has the most wonderful purpose for you even though you were taught differently."
He added: "I always thought I could hide this secret. Football was my escape, my purpose, my identity. Football hid my secret, gave me more joy than I could have ever imagined… I will always be thankful for my career.
"Now is my time to step away. It’s time to discover myself away from football."