In an interview with OUT magazine, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver, Michael Irvin, came out in support of same-sex marriage, after finally speaking openly about his brother who is gay.
Irvin told the magazine about a day when he saw a man who was dressed like a woman, who turned out to be his brother, Vaughn. Irvin’s father told the future NFL star “Yes, that’s your brother. And you love your brother.”
Irvin led the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles in the 1990s. He was put into the Football Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2010, NFL.com named him one of the 100 greatest football players in history.
After all of Irvin’s legal troubles, such as cocaine possession and drug paraphernalia, he decided to work out his problems with his bishop, T.D. Jakes of the Potter’s House Church in texas, according to the magazine. After talking to his bishop about his gay brother, Irvin realized he was ready to go public with his support of gay people, athletes, and same-sex couples.
Irvin tells OUT Magazine how hard it must be for a homosexual to keep their secret. “I can only imagine the agony- being a prisoner in your own mind- for someone who wants to come out.” Irvin even said himself, and his teammates, would have never minded having a gay teammate. The only thing that would have mattered is that he could throw a football. “We would have integrated him and kept moving because of the closeness.”
