David Coote, a former Premier League referee, attributed his poor choices causing job loss to struggles with his sexuality. In his first interview post-scandal, he revealed he hid his true self for years due to self-esteem issues and fears of abuse in football. He expressed shame in using drugs as an escape from refereeing pressures. Coote stated being gay played a significant role in his emotional struggles and behaviors that ultimately led to his downfall, emphasizing the difficulty of existing authentically in such a challenging environment.
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.
To add my sexuality to that would have been really difficult, and I have received deeply unpleasant abuse during my career as a ref.
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