Willamette Kicker Comes Out

[PapaG]

Good for him!

http://www.outsports.com/2014/1/28/5348936/conner-mertens-willamette-football-kicker

Conner Mertens, the Willamette University football team's up-and-coming kicker, had asked head coach Glen Fowles for some office time last Monday to discuss something important. Fowles has been on the team's staff for 18 years. He's moved up the ranks from offensive line coach to offensive coordinator and a year ago was named the team's head coach. Before that he played on the offensive line for the Bearcats for two seasons.

In his two decades at Willamette, an hour south of Portland, Ore., he's never had to handle anything like this.

Fowles and his special teams coordinator feared Mertens would tell them he was transferring to another school. While Mertens is a red-shirt freshman and missed the 2013 season due to injury, he has the potential to be the team's place kicker for the next four years. It would be a tough loss for the team.

When Mertens arrived for the meeting, Fowles started a subtle soft-sell on the school. Willamette offered great opportunities, the personnel was top-notch, the academics were stellar and Mertens' future with the team was bright. Mertens laughed.

"I'm not going anywhere, coach," Mertens said.

That was a relief.

Mertens asked Fowles if he was a good kicker. Fowles confirmed. He then asked if his role on the team would be affected by things he did off the field, or if he'd be judged by his performance. All that mattered to Fowles was whether he could kick that ball through those two goal posts. That was reassuring, Mertens said, because he had something very personal to share with his coach.

"I'm bisexual," Mertens told Fowles. "I like dudes. I have a boyfriend. And next week, I'm going to tell the world."

Mertens didn't easily arrive at his decision to come out to his coach or team, let alone publicly. No college football player in the United States at any level has ever come out publicly while still playing. Some have come out to their team, many have come out to friends, but none have said publicly that they are LGBT.

As a red-shirt freshman, Mertens hasn't played a down for Willamette. With no college experience under his belt and the starting place-kicker position for next season up in the air, it would be easy for a coach to find ways to bury him on the depth chart and quietly push him off the team.

He was taking a big risk. Yet for Mertens, the potential gain for both himself and other youth like him simply outweighed the risk.

"For me growing up, I always felt the biggest thing that caused my depression was the feeling of being alone," Mertens said. "I hate the stereotypes that go along with liking the same sex. You don't have to follow the stereotype to be this way. I made the decision that if I could help anyone else avoid feeling the way I felt, I would."

The people he most wanted to reach are the residents of his hometown of Kennewick, Wash. The Tri-Cities is a conservative area in Southeast Washington that Mertens said isn't the most LGBT-friendly place in the world. Barack Obama garnered just 35% of the vote in the area in 2012; 63% voted against the state's ultimately approved same-sex marriage ballot measure in the same election.

continued at link

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

I don't see this as being newsworthy. Who gives a shit if he's a fan of the D. To me, its like a football player saying "I like blond girls".

"good for him". get the fuck outta here.

 

[PapaG]

I don't see this as being newsworthy. Who gives a shit if he's a fan of the D. To me, its like a football player saying "I like blond girls".

"good for him". get the fuck outta here.

I thought the story was in why he decided to come out, and how keeping his secret was affecting his life mentally and physically.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Seems to me he's more of an attention whore than anything coming out to the entire world. I'm sure there are many gay athletes and many who don't have to make it this big public spectacle...you know...to "help his depression".

 

[PapaG]

Seems to me he's more of an attention whore than anything coming out to the entire world. I'm sure there are many gay athletes and many who don't have to make it this big public spectacle...you know...to "help his depression".

Well, that's one way to view this story.

 

[Eastoff]

I think there is a little narcissism to this story. But there are more important topics going on as well. This is a healthy thing. I hope the kid can stay physically safe.

 

[TradeNurkicNow]

Well, that's one way to view this story.

that's how el pres views everything. anything out of the ordinary made public is being an attention whore. caring about anything is just posturing. he's like south park and family guy all rolled up into one lovable scamp

 

[GriLtCheeZ]

Seems to me he's more of an attention whore than anything coming out to the entire world. I'm sure there are many gay athletes and many who don't have to make it this big public spectacle...you know...to "help his depression".

Always the cynic.

 

[BlazerWookee]

Am I the only one that thought this was a semi-local tax refund in the works?

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

[video=youtube;MWGciuLuH8k]

 

[RR7]

Am I the only one that thought this was a semi-local tax refund in the works?

LOL!

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Someday El Pres will come out of the "not all asian people are good at math" closet.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

And SlyPokerDog will come out of the closet not smelling like bologna. :MARIS61:

 

[SlyPokerDog]

And SlyPokerDog will come out of the closet not smelling like bologna. :MARIS61:

One day suspension for you!

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

:MARIS61: I'll pull a MM!

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

the bisexual football bro's pretty good looking:

 

[Natebishop3]

Willamette has a football team?

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Willamette has a football team?

Grammy award winning football team, that is.

 

[Natebishop3]

Grammy award winning football team, that is.

Wouldn't it be a Tony award winning football team?

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Deion Sanders hitting on Marshan Lynch:

[video=youtube;zZnR9cFeVNA]

:MARIS61:

 

[PapaG]

Willamette has a football team?

Yeah, they play in the same conference as Linfield. They were 7-2 this year, and have a lot of local kids who play for them.

 

[Natebishop3]

Yeah, they play in the same conference as Linfield. They were 7-2 this year, and have a lot of are kids who play for them.

I honestly had no idea. I knew Lewis and Clark has a team because a guy I went to high school with played for them. He eventually went on to transfer to OSU and ride their bench for a year or two. Willamette didn't strike me as school that cared much about athletics.

 

[PapaG]

With the most anti-gay people I've known in my own life, those who were most vehemently opposed to homosexuals and their lifestyles are unmarried men in their early 30s fighting off the urge on their own.

Just sayin, Prez...

 

[PapaG]

I honestly had no idea. I knew Lewis and Clark has a team because a guy I went to high school with played for them. He eventually went on to transfer to OSU and ride their bench for a year or two. Willamette didn't strike me as school that cared much about athletics.

I don't think they do, but they do have a basketball and football program.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

With the most anti-gay people I've known in my own life, those who were most vehemently opposed to homosexuals and their lifestyles are unmarried men in their early 30s fighting off the urge on their own.

Just sayin, Prez...

I'm not opposed to homosexuals at all. My point of view is his sexuality is a non issue and he shouldn't get an "atta boy" for something that really doesn't matter.

hoop fam

 

[BigGameDamian]

Thomas Robinson might be too?

 

[santeesioux]

Thomas Robinson might be too?

And where did you hear that?

 

[KeepOnRollin]

Thomas Robinson might be too?

Curious, BGD, do you know what slander is?

 

[crandc]

With the most anti-gay people I've known in my own life, those who were most vehemently opposed to homosexuals and their lifestyles are unmarried men in their early 30s fighting off the urge on their own.

Just sayin, Prez...

I think the world has ended. PapaG is totally correct.