The story of Jason Collins coming out as the first openly gay professional active player in the four major American sports reverberated around the nation on Monday and it did not get past the commander-in-chief, as President Barack Obama, known as an avid sports fan, personally called Collins and spoke to him and expressed his gratitude.
According to the Huffington Post, White House officials confirmed the call on Monday, saying that the President called Collins following his announcement in a cover story for Sports Illustrated. The report says that the President conveyed his gratitude and "expressed his support" and "was impressed by (the) courage" of Collins. The 34-year-old wrote in Sports Illustrated that he felt it was the right time to come out and the free agent is now the first openly gay athlete in the major sports in North America that is currently still active.
Many in the NBA responded positively to the announcement, including Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant, but some found themselves making apologies after making ignorant statements, including Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace, who wrote on Twitter that he didn't "understand" homosexuality before deleting the tweet and apologizing. Other figures that came out negatively included Larry Johnson and Alphonso Smith, who wrote some disparaging comments on Twitter about being homosexual.
Collins went to Stanford where he played basketball and he has been on six teams during his 12-year NBA career, including this past season with the Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards. Collins was on Good Morning America and White House spokesman Jay Carney said he was "courageous" for what he did. Former President Bill Clinton praised Collins, who was a classmate of his daughter Chelsea when she attended Stanford University.
Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers praised Collins for his play on the court and said he was one of the most intelligent players he ever coached. Many in the sport agreed and expressed their support for him. Collins is endorsed by Nike and the company came out in support of him after the announcement.
