LONDON (AP) — Former Premier League referee David Coote has come out as gay and revealed that struggling to hide his sexuality contributed to the offensive rant that got him dismissed last year.
Coote was suspended in November when video circulated of him making offensive comments to friends about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. Coote was fired in December after an investigation by the English referees' body.
In an interview with The Sun, Coote said: "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.
“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. And that's led me to a whole course of behaviors.”
Coote said he was “not sober” when he gave his personal opinions on Klopp and Liverpool, adding the video was taped by a friend and he had forgotten about it.
“The video has been sat with somebody for four years, I'd forgotten it existed,” Coote said.
"I was sat waiting for my car to be serviced and I received a call to say that this video has surfaced on social media. You can tell from the video I clearly wasn't sober and I deeply regret that I found myself in that position.
“The first thing I want to do is apologize to anyone I've offended by my actions. I recognized they fell well short of standards that are expected of a top-level referee and I deeply regret saying what I said.”
Shortly after the first video, another video was published by The Sun showing him using cocaine during the European Championship last year.
“I don't recognize myself in the cocaine video,” Coote said. "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.”
Death threats
Coote said he and his late mother received death threats following decisions he made on the field, and cited his own example to show how relentless abuse from the stands and on social media could impact the mental health of officials.
“Every official that takes to the pitch up and down the country from a local playing field to the Premier League is a human being, not just a referee,” he said.
"They have feelings. They may not show them, but it will impact them when they're receiving abuse. I've struggled and I've tried to get through it in my own way and made poor decisions in doing so.
“I hope that others make better decisions and that referees are given an easier ride in the levels of scrutiny, and levels of abuse that come in their direction. I hope this shines a light on the impact it can have on a person.”
The Associated Press
