Wade Davis, NFL player, has come out as gay. In a recent interview with OutSports.com, the former professional footballer admitted that coming out during his time spent in the league was impossible. According to Wade, telling the truth about his sexuality may have hurt his career. However, now that his NFL days are behind him, Wade feels that discussing the issue may help those players who are struggling to cope with living a double life.

“I can remember going out that night, going to a strip club, spending probably $1,500 just to make sure — if they even had a glimmer of thought that I was gay, that I wasn’t. I was willing to make it rain just like the rest of them were,” Davis explained in the interview.

Although Davis’ time in the NFL didn’t exactly pan out — he did spend some time with Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins, and Seattle Seahawks — he’s hoping that coming out of the closet will help others understand they’re not alone.

“I think subconsciously, I understood that being gay — the way I was raised — was wrong,” Davis state in an interview with Amy K. Nelson of SB Nation. “And there was no way that my family, at least, in my mind, would accept me. And also that my football family would accept me. Just because of the perception of being gay meant that you were less masculine.”

Now that Davis has retired from the NFL, he’s turning his attention to more important matters. At present, Davis is helping at-risk gay youth, in addition to campaigning for Barack Obama.

“You just want to be one of the guys, and you don’t want to lose that sense of family,” Davis said of his decision to keep his sexuality a secret. “Your biggest fear is that you’ll lose that camaraderie and family. I think about how close I was with Jevon and Samari. It’s not like they’d like me less, it’s that they have to protect their own brand.”

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