Charles Barkley Says Closeted Gay Athletes Persist After Jason Collins Dies at 47
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 14
Charles Barkley Says Closeted Gay Athletes Persist After Jason Collins Dies at 47
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 14
ESPN analyst Charles Barkley used Wednesday's "Inside the NBA" to say the U.S. remains a "homophobic society" after former NBA center Jason Collins died at 47.
Barkley said many gay athletes are still closeted across the NBA, NFL and MLB because of "animosity toward the gay community," adding that gay people in the Black community are "treated awful."
Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player, died after an eight-month battle with Stage 4 glioblastoma; he came out in a 2013 Sports Illustrated essay and later played for the Brooklyn Nets.
His death renewed attention on how few male athletes in major U.S. team sports have come out publicly, despite Barkley's assertion that many more remain hidden.
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