Disgraced ex-Premier League referee, David Coote, has come out as gay and revealed that a lifelong struggle to hide his sexuality contributed to the rant that saw him dismissed from his position last year.
The 42-year-old Englishman was initially suspended last October after footage emerged of him mocking ex-Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp, in a video that went viral on social media.
“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 with hiding that,” Coote said in an interview with The Sun.
The former referee added, “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 also talked about the motivation behind coming out. “I’m not telling an authentic story if I don’t say that I’m gay, and that I’ve had real struggles with hiding that. And that’s led me to a whole course of behaviours.”
“I don’t recognise myself in the cocaine video,” Coote added. “I can’t resonate with how I felt then, but that was me. I was struggling with the schedule and there was no opportunity to stop. And so I found myself in that position — escaping.
“I’ve had long periods where I’ve not used it — but it was one of the escape routes I had. Just getting away from the stresses, the relentlessness of the job. It fills me with a huge sense of shame to say that I took that route.”
Coote, whose contract was terminated by referee governing body PGMOL following its investigation into the initial video, says his focus is on prioritising his mental health and wellbeing.