University of Massachusetts Minuteman Derrick Gordon stepped forward as the first openly gay male athlete in Division 1 men's basketball.
The sophomore shooting guard broke the news to his teammates in a meeting on April 2, during which UMass coach Derek Kellogg, who has a wife of nine years, broke the ice by first telling his players, "I wanted to let you all know I'm gay."
Gordon, taking the cue, jumped in: "No, he's not. But I am."
This is the happiest I have ever been in my 22 Years of living...No more HIDING!!!...Just want to live… http://t.co/rR9KO8nGCu— Derrick Gordon (@flash2gordon) April 9, 2014
"I was thinking about summer plans and just being around my teammates and how it was going to be," Gordon said in an interview with ESPNW. "I just thought, 'Why not now? Why not do it in the offseason when it's the perfect time to let my teammates know and everybody know my sexuality."
Gordon, whose team lost in the first round of March Madness, is reportedly "over the moon," according to OutSports.
"'Happy' is not even the word," Gordon told the organization. "It's a great feeling. I haven't felt like this. Ever. It's a lot of weight lifted off my shoulders. I can finally breathe now and live life happily. I told all the people I need to tell."