“The end to my football career was bittersweet, because I finally felt it was time to stop hiding who I was. I started talking to guys using online dating apps to possibly meet with others who identified themselves as gay. Once I even brought a guy around my teammates, but we were super discreet.”
I always told myself I’d come out my freshman year of college. Playing Division I football put that on hold.
Growing up I thought being different was normal. I realized that I was attracted to guys in elementary school, but it wasn’t until about eight grade taking sex education classes that I knew it for sure. Being involved with sports, I thought it would be best to keep that side of me hidden, only to avoid conflict with my teammates. Not that I cared about what they thought, I just thought it didn’t need to be announced because it wasn’t relevant to getting the job done for winning a game. While it may have avoided some kind of conflict, internally that did a number on me.
I was always really good at sports because I am, well, very fast. I started out as a sprinter, and every year in high school I broke a school record in at least one event. I ran the 100m dash, 200m dash, and all the sprint relays.
In high school I was introduced to the game of football. At first it took me a while to get the hang of it; I still remember not even knowing how to hold a football. The quarterback would just give me the ball and, because I was fast enough, I just ran to the edge of the field and cut up field and scored constantly using the same exact play.
By my junior year I had the game of football down. I developed enough skills that I got noticed by multiple college football and track coaches from some pretty big universities. My senior year I rushed for 1,900 yards, scored 28 touchdowns and was the offensive MVP of my 7 4a district in Dallas/Fort Worth. I was also an all-state running back in Texas.
That got me an invitation to play for Louisiana Tech.
As a true freshman at Louisiana Tech I was given the shot to play along side two other great running backs – Tevin King and Kenneth Dixon. Being a true freshman playing in front of packed stadiums holding over 40,000 people was exhilarating. Yet something was eating at me.
In high school I told myself I’d come out my freshman year in college. I didn’t want to let myself down. So after becoming really close to one of my teammates I felt we were close enough that he could be the first person I told. Before I told him I wanted to see how he would react, so I asked how he would feel having a gay teammate.
“Dude are you serious?” He said. “That’s gross. I’d tell everyone on our team and make him want to quit.”
I pushed the pause button on my commitment to come out.
You can read the rest of Brandon’s story here at Outsports.com
Good for him. Seems to be living his truth and enjoying life!
This is awesome! I'm glad he decided to share his story.
This is dope…but can I say that I would have suspected heavily that he was gay if I was a student with him? Not that he's feminine, my Gaydar just goes off for him. Still, good for this young man. :salute:
Yea I agree, I was thinking the same thing when I was watching the video.
I hope he's back in the Dallas area …. I'll be looking for that ass. Running Backs got the nicest ass of any football positions lol.
That guy is a very handsome guy. Nice lips and nice teeth… but uhhhh anyway I'm glad he shared his story. I love watching coming out stories 🙂
I want to be able to inspire and mentor other young black gay men as I grow older. I think I might become like the gay version of MLK real talk. Different events in my life have been inspiring me lol.
Who knows, he might have been a lil more closeted back then. He may have gotten some exposure to the gay scene and 'softened up' a lil
It's always nice to see gay athletes come out. The comments from his "close" teammate is typical & the reason most dudes stay closeted. Seriously, making him quit?
Anyways, Im glad he did what he did. This may make younger gays/bi athletes to not feel so alone.
Good for him.
Good for him. But I wonder if a college D1 football player like this years Heisman trophy winner from Clemson could do the same. I can actually see the Brandon being able to pass. He seems like a nice southern guy. Its a lot of NFL players and other athletes that talk just the way he does and are straight with kids. Or maybe I dont have a gaydar. I also wonder why he just didnt switch sports and run track?
umm …. :lupe1:
View attachment 1393
not really shade lol but he use to run track and seemed like a logical choice to me. Also track teams tend to be more open. Now the shade could go to some of these NFL players straight with kids. Just something to ponder on lol.
More power to him. Taking your life in your own hands is the only way IMHO. Major Props.
My previous statement might have come out wrong. I wasn't trying to literally call him soft or anything. I was just trying to say that I caught a vibe from him.
He seems like a cool and level headed dude. I can respect his approach to handing his sexuality and his desire to play sports. It's good to see bruthas like him tell their story. It doesn't hurt thst he's a handsome young man too. Hopefully he'll inspire others in sports and other typically male dominated fields to just be themselves.
I tend to miss stuff like that. lol I wish I had a gaydar maybe I would have a bea by now lol.
I wasn't going to post that -but I was thinking the same thing. Anyway, he seems very humble and very attractive.
This lil dude reminds me of someone and its racking my brain. Yeah, he's not fem or soft really, just gives off a vibe…Like if you stared at him a little too long, he would eventually notice and stare back to let you know he gets down. IDK. Maybe I really do have a better gaydar now. Too bad my force "awakened" when I was damn near 40 years old.
Yoooo! I just remebered it. @ockydub this dude has the same demeanor and mannerisms as "Household Name." His eye movements the same and everything. He looks different (HN used to be in the same physical shape tho) but carries himself pretty much the same way, which is why I knew it was cool to make that first move w/o knowing if he was gay or not. But as it eventually turned out, he was already "known" in the scene.
He is not fem at-but he has a certain softness that "if" he was gay.and you stared at him a little too long. He would eventually notice and stare back to let you know he gets down. I can tell that if hyper masculine men came around he would stand out. It doesn't matter he is embraces by his family and still active in sports.
Having read these comments…gaydar aside, I feel I can say he still comes of like many straight men I have worked with and interacted with. For me he just comes off as just a regular kat who is mos def date-able if I was younger even though I'm not into trends in attire. I mean…I just can't have my pants chocking my ankles.
Nick knows he hit that in college-just joking. Coming out is different for everybody and just glad I don't have to go through this anymore. There is a level of reassurance and peace when you no longer care what anybody or anyone thinks. You are finally being who God made you to be.
Yeah no one said he was feminine, why are you defending dude? You can't say "gaydar aside" when the whole side conversation was about him showing up as a blip on our gaydar, lol.
I just love when gay men think being "clockable" is an insult and then bring up straight people as a basis for comparison.
Just like parents who can tell their identical twin children apart, gay men can often tell if a dude is gay (or highly likely to be gay) on sight.
I have to agree with @Nick Delmacy he does "give off a vibe." Truth be told many gay men do that's how we find each other without the assistance of hookup/dating sites and apps. Looking at his pix and watching him in the video he does raise my antennas. Once you become experienced you just know. I doubt a "civilian" would clock him very quickly if at all. But anyone can be clocked no matter how masculine they are if observed long enough and they know what to look for.
Smh…no need to over analyze or over think. I made an observation just as everyone else concerning his mannerisms. My comment is that there are plenty of 'clockable' men who are not gay.
Who made this universal rule up? Gaydar like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. There isn't a lot difference between him and a lot of straight men who I have encountered…which is why the gaydar was "put aside." AND speaking from my own experience I have worked with plenty of gay dudes who had no clue I was gay until they saw me out in a club. AND how many gay dudes do you currently work with right now that have no clue that you are gay even with your fake eye-lashes and all? WTF you talking about?
View attachment 1411
I think it a lot easier for people to live within their individual truth in today's society. There is so much info out there to let you know you are not alone.
I am glad that he is living his truth now. 2016 I think more people will be coming out.