Former football player and reality TV alum Colton Underwood has given an interview in which he talks about dealing with homophobia during his brief sports career.
Underwood, famously, tried to convince himself, and the rest of the world, he was straight by participating in the hit show The Bachelor. He came out as gay in 2021, at the age of 29.
Underwood chatted to the YouTube channel StyleLikeU. He took part in its ‘What’s Underneath Masculinity’ series.
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Before his reality TV show fame, Underwood was signed in 2014 as a free agent for the San Diego Chargers and then for the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad. He then joined the Oakland Raiders’ practice squad in 2015 but was released later that year.
He recalled experiencing locker room homophobia during his time as a player.
“I’ve got called a f*ggot. I got called gay. I got called queer. If I wasn’t dating somebody at the time, it was definitely even more. It’s like, when you’re a successful football player, you’re supposed to be dating the cheer captain.
“You’re supposed to be dating a hot woman, and you’re supposed to have her on your arm after games, and if you don’t have that, it gives people permission to ask why. And, it just made me that more motivated, and made me work that much harder to blend in.
“Homophobia is very real in locker rooms,” Underwood continued. “The locker room culture is so confusing for a straight man. You go from moments of obviously showering naked together, commenting on dick sizes, and slapping asses to, if you look for a second too long, you’re being called a f*ggot.
“Then ‘no homo’ comes out. And, it’s just, like, for somebody who’s questioning their sexuality, like, what do I do?
“It was terrifying”
“I think the biggest misconception with locker rooms for queer men is, like, it’s not sexual,” Underwood said. “If anything it was terrifying. In the back of my mind I was, like, ‘The worst case scenario that could happen, is, like, I actually get turned on in this moment.’
“But, I think I was so scared that that emotion overcame any other emotion that I could possibly have. It’s just the fear of being in the locker room.
“In high school I was, you know, sort of, bouncing from relationships, but like, exiting before it became physical.
“College was easier for me because I can compartmentalize. So, I was telling people in my college that I was seeing somebody back home, and I was telling people at home that I’m seeing somebody in college, and I’m not ready for ’em to meet.”
He recalled being in football locker rooms at the same time when footballer Michael Sams came out.
“What people see, was, like, ‘Oh, the NFL supported him.’ But, what I experienced was gay jokes, left and right. People saying ‘it’s a circus,’ ‘it’s media,’ ‘he’s a clown.’ All of these things. And, it just drove me into the closet even more.”
However, like so many people before him, he says the fear of coming out did not match the reality.
“As much hate as I’ve received online, and backlash, and whatever you wanna call it, I haven’t had that experience in real life. Like, nobody’s ever came up to me, and looked me in the eyes as a human being, and said any of the negative things or the bad things that they’ve said to me online.”
Falling in love and marriage
After coming out, Underwood certainly seems more at ease with himself. He made a Netflix show about embracing his sexuality… and he quickly met and married. He and his partner, Jordan C Brown, wed last May at a ceremony in Napa Valley.
Talking to StyleLikeU, he talked about how he met Brown
“We met randomly at, like, this party, and then two months went by and we were on the same trip in P-Town, and it was like magnets. I was very upfront that, like, I had not had an emotional connection with a man, and it was still a very physical experience for me, not emotional. And, we hit it off immediately.
“I was still on a journey of self-discovery when we met, for my own self. I was very upfront with him on that. And, like, I’m still a work-in-progress, and he loves me for all that I am and all that I will be. He told me that.
“And, I think it was in that moment that I’m like, ‘Oh, there’s a lane for me in this community’.”
Related:
‘Bachelor’ alum Colton Underwood marries Jordan C Brown in Napa Valley
“I’ve never been more sure about something,” says Underwood.
Colton Underwood says he wouldn’t shower with NFL teammates in case he got turned on
“The locker room is extremely homophobic, but it’s also very homoerotic.”
Fahd
His shtick has gone way past tiresome.
Diplomat
Yeah his expiration date was over long ago.
Fenwick22
Fact check: True
toddlicious
Wasn’t his 15 minutes on like his third time on some bachelor show when we all knew he was gay? He’s not relevant to the gay community and his story has been told already. We’ve heard it. Thanks for coming but it’s time for you to leave the party.
bachy
I’m confused by the resentments aimed at Colton Underwood. Lots of people struggle with the coming out process. Why is his struggle so contemptible?
But I wonder how did he meet, fall in love and get married 15 minutes after he came out?
Donston
He knew he was very much extremely homo-leaning as a teen. Yet, he still aimed to be the centerpiece of a hetero dating show. That could be easily dismissed as someone needing maturity and self-understanding and the need to break away from family/sociology. However, the stalking and tracking of his female ex isn’t as easy to dismiss. Making up a story about being blackmailed by an hookup isn’t as easy to dismiss. Writing a book where half of the premise is “I’m not ‘gay” then coming out a half of a year later, being engaged to a female and then married to a guy in barely a year, still trying to use your “coming out” journey for more reality TV gigs, being Republican…
I understand that everyone has their own struggles and journeys. And “sexuality”, traumas, insecurities, mental health, the gender, sexual, affection, romantic, emotion, commitment spectrum is a difficult terrain for many people. But he is tiresome public figure. While his main goal seems to be saying and doing whatever to remain a public figure.
bachy
@Donston: thanks for the deeper dive. I knew he’d been on Bachelor, but hadn’t been aware of the details. Sounds like one rocky, rocky road.
Still can’t fathom how he met, fell in love and got married so quickly considering all the emotional baggage!
SDR94103
go away, mary.
BLAKENOW
Enough with the stupid eyeball hate, you are part of the problem not him, ! Colton has done more charity work for the LGBTQ than any of you ever have combined, and he is part of this dysfunctional community whether you like it or not..
Pietro D
Sorry for the errors. I was in the middle of editing when I ran out of time due to the length of my comment and so it was posted, warts and all. I do apologize………… but what I said, i meant from my very core.
Huron132
I don’t understand the negativity towards Colton? I think the reason why he was “SO SPECIAL” as people say is he allowed his coming out to be really public. We actually got to see what it was in real time a person/public persona what it was like for him. His controversial mistakes and trying to apologize and be his own person. As a non celebrity person we would never hear about. So it was x10 for him. I’m hoping that there were many men who followed his show and life see how successful he came out as a gay man. I hope others were able to be their own self with some success as well.
BLAKENOW
These super judgy hypocritical queens hating on Colton actually hate themselves, they need some self love and therapy,.
bachy
There’s a lot of hate directed toward him from the gay community, but I’ve seen Coming Out Colton and heard him speak several times since, and I find him to be very honest and forthcoming. His description of his struggle – from someone who is very closeted and comfortable in an uber-straight lifestyle… to someone out/gay – makes sense. I find it understandable. Was it messy? Yes. But I’m confused by the kind of person who finds it “contemptible.” I think his journey illumines a path for a lot of men who would otherwise find coming out impossible.
agedbeef61
Given his history, I admire Colton for coming out so publicly and proudly. Any LGBTQ+ person who is willing to be open and visible benefits us all by normalizing our appearance in public.
mz.sam
@BLAKENOW: No shit, Sherlock! There is a deep-seated segment of the LGBTQ community that is unabashedly critical and hate-filled in their DNA with finding and commenting the worse in others. As the T. Swift hit anthem goes: ‘Haters gonna Hate’. Period.
GayVeteranOfcr
All men’s college, I joined a fraternity. I was a jock. I was a long-distance swimmer and swam laps in the clothing-optional at night pool. Other students occasionally took showers late at night after their own individual exercising. A few took advantage in the showers after watching me swim laps.
I was a jock and it was unthinkable to look at me other than as a jock, swimmer and soccer player.
I later entered the military, and there, no one insulted me. An older military man became my partner and guided my military career to be a good officer, and we lived together. On duty, I was the image of a good junior officer. Off duty, we enjoyed living near Washington D.C. and the busy gay nightlife there. Common lore was that young military men earned extra income with their gay-for-pay “rent boy” life.
Love321
I feel alot of these comments are unnecessary. He’s using his voice to talk about his experience being LGBTQ and he’s getting negativity evidence by this comment section. There’s many bachelors who are still doing interviews. If he was sitting here talking about his relationship with Cassie and how he had kids with her, I doubt there would be this amount of negativity.
Mr.Gavin Elster
I’m just sorry that old magazine “Playgirl” isn’t still around. Remember that? For women, but bought, and “used” mostly by gay-curious men. Colton could wear his old football duds, and hopefully pose in the ALL-together Peter-Lupus style, WOOF! And, not George Maharis peek-a-boo-like. Or, Underwood could open one of those C-list “celebrity” pay-porn sites? Maybe with his new hubby? So many entertainment-based opportunities for this talented, multi-faceted man!