Former Premier League referee David Coote apologised for his actions during a video in which he allegedly abused Liverpool and their ex-manager Jurgen Klopp, which eventually led to his sacking last month by English football’s referees’ body PGMOL.
In an interview with The Sun, his first since his sacking, he also came out as gay and said that the pressure of the job and fear of abuse due to his sexuality triggered his behaviour.
The 42-year-old Coote, who officiated more than 100 top-flight games, said fear of coming out as gay led him to turn to drugs and added that he “was not sober” at the time of the video.
“My sexuality isn’t the only reason that led me to be in that position. But I’m not telling an authentic story if I don’t say that I’m gay, and that I’ve had real struggles dealing with hiding that,” Coote said during the interview.
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“I hid my emotions as a young ref and I hid my sexuality as well, a good quality as a referee but a terrible quality as a human being,” he added.
He also released a statement in which he said that the video was taken during “very low times” in his life.
“This has been one of the most difficult periods of my life. I take full responsibility for my actions, which fell way below what was expected of me. I am truly sorry for any offence caused by my actions and for the negative spotlight, it put on the game that I love,” he said in the statement.
“My focus now is on continuing to prioritise my mental health and wellbeing. I hope that my experiences, both on and off the field, can be utilised in football at some point in the future,” he added.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com