i m seldom jealous of others, but hearing what joe had done filled me with envy. i was proud of him for participating but angry as a closeted gay man i couldn t cheer my straight friend on as a spectator. if i d been questioned, i would have concocted half truths. what a shame to have to lie at a celebration of pride. i wanted to do the right thing and not hide anymore. i want to march for tolerance, acceptance and understanding. i want to take a stand and say, me, too. well, today u.s. congressman joe kennedy put out a statement praising his friend, for as long as i ve known jason collins he has been defined by three things. this is really nice. his passion for the sport he loves. his unwavering integrity, and the biggest heart you will ever find. without question, or hesitation, he gives everything he s got to those of us lucky enough to be in his life. i m proud to stand with him today and proud to call him a friend. joining me right now is sports illustrated senior writer, joh
came out as gay today. now back to hardball. welcome back to hardball. with these simple declarative sentences, quote, i m a 34-year-old nba center, i m black and i m gay, jason collins. in a cover story for sports illustrated in this passage collins described when he knew he had to come out. i realized i needed to go public when joe kennedy, my old roommate at stanford and now a massachusetts congressman told me he just marched in boston s 2012 gay pride parade. i m seldom jealous of others, but hearing what joe had done filled me with envy. i was proud of him for participating but angry as a closeted gay man i couldn t cheer my straight friend on as a spectator. if i d been questioned, i would have concocted half truths. what a shame to have to lie at a celebration of pride. i wanted to do the right thing