When Jason Collins came out as gay in an article written for Sports Illustrated, he said one of the reasons for his announcement was so that he could do it on his terms and not be outed by a media gossip outlet. The exact sort of situation he was trying to avoid is happening with Kerry Rhodes.
Rhodes, an 8-year NFL veteran safety, denied being gay after pictures of him being close to another male hit the internet last month. The other man in the photos was his ex-assistant, who also claims to be Rhodes’ ex-boyfriend. Even though the story died down over the past six weeks, it was revived early Sunday when World Star Hip Hop posted a video and hyped it up by saying, “Another Professional Athlete Coming Out Of The Closet? Footage Of NFL Player “Kerry Rhodes” Laying In Bed With Another Man Released!”
The video is not at all damaging the way World Star makes it out to be. Sometimes guys who are traveling happen to be in the same hotel room and on a bed together at the same time, especially if they’re both trying to be on camera. But when you combine this video with the pictures and everything the ex-assistant has said, it’s just more supposed evidence that Rhodes is gay.
You can watch the video below. Most of the supposed scandalous bed stuff is from the 6:15 mark on. After watching the video, you’ll understand exactly why Collins handled his own announcement, and why it might be in the interest of other gay athletes to follow his lead rather than be faced with a Kerry Rhodes situation.
