Único jogador de futebol assumidamente gay dos Estados Unidos, Robbie Rogers anunciou a sua aposentadoria dos campos por causa de uma lesão no tornozelo. Em um post publicado em suas redes sociais, ele contou detalhes sobre a decisão e falou também a respeito da sua sexualidade.

“Meu único arrependimento da minha carreira foi ter passado 11 anos no armário. Eu queria ter tido a coragem de muitos jovens que conseguem viver honestamente e de maneira aberta como gays”, comentou Rogers.

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Ainda no comunicado, o atleta agradeceu aos seus fãs por toda a atenção dada durante todos os anos de carreira. “Esses jovens que me inspiraram a superar os meus medos e voltar a jogar. Eles ainda são os jovens que me mandam cartas todas as semanas. A esses jovens, eu digo obrigado! A maior conquista da minha carreira foi ajudar a criar um esporte mais receptivo para vocês!”, declarou.

Robbie assumiu a homossexualidade em 2013, e até hoje permanece como o único profissional do esporte, no seu país, que assumiu a sua sexualidade. Atualmente, o agora ex-meio-campista é casado com Greg Berlanti. O casal já tem um filho, Caleb Berlani.

As a young boy I dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player and representing my country in front of the world. But as a teenager I grew more and more consumed by fear and shame. And sadly, at some point the scared kid inside me decided that pursuing my dream meant sacrificing a part of myself and hiding my sexuality from the world instead of embracing it. My happiest years as a player are the ones where I could walk through the stadium at the end of games down the tunnel to my partner and son waiting for me at the other end. And my only regret in my eleven 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. 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. None of this would have been possible without my teammates and brothers on and off the field, without the LA Galaxy and Bruce Arena who saw me as another player and not a distraction, or without the fans who judged me for my work ethic and my play and not my sexuality. And finally, it couldn’t have been possible without my family, who loved me through all of my ups and downs and always supported my dreams and still do. Lastly to all of the women and men who are still frightened to share their truth with the world, I’d encourage you to come out. By sharing who you are you will not only be improving your own life but inspiring and literally saving the lives of young people across the world. You deserve to take that same walk, down the players tunnel and have your own partner or loved ones waiting for you. Again thank you to everyone who watched or help me follow these dreams. I could never have imagined the happiness I’ll take with me into retirement and into my next chapter.

Uma publicação compartilhada por Robbie Rogers (@robbierogers) em Nov 7, 2017 às 11:47 PST