Teammates have been very supportive
When asked to share a personal secret during an offseason team-building exercise last year, Kansas State offensive tackle Scott Frantz shocked his teammates when he revealed he was gay. It happened in an emotional speech detailing his childhood; a time of life for Scott that was marked by depression, anger and self-hate, he told ESPN.
Frantz told ESPN’s Holly Rowe that he knew he was gay in fifth grade but that it took him until his junior year of high school to fully accept it.
The sophomore tackle recalled sitting in a locker room meeting with “110, 120 football guys” and “just crying.”
“I felt sick, because I had something on my chest that I wanted to get out there that I’ve never told anybody – and that was that I’m a gay man,” he said.
“And I remember – I stood up and I felt like passing out.”
“I had to sit down on the ground; I was crying. (My teammate) Alex Barnes came over to me, put his arms around me.”
That’s when he decided to finally reveal his true self.
“I told him my story. I told him that for as long I remembered, I’ve struggled with who I am.”
“I didn’t think that anyone could love me, didn’t think that they could accept me.”
“I was afraid of who I was. I was angry of [sic] who I was. And I just felt myself needing to say it. So I did.”
His teammate’s response to his revelation was beyond anything he had ever hoped for.
“I’ve never felt so loved and so accepted ever in my life than when I did that. And ever since then, it’s been great. I’ve grown so much closer to my teammates since then. So it’s been an amazing experience.”
“I ultimately am sharing this story because I want to reach out to all the other kids who are just like me, who feel like they can’t be accepted, can’t be loved because of who they are,” Frantz said.
“I spent my whole childhood hating myself because of who I was. I was angry; I was mad; I was depressed at times.”
“And I want to share my message to tell other people in my spot that you can be loved, you can be accepted, you can be who you are and it’s just not a big deal anymore.
A week after coming out to his teammates, he came out to his family.
