A Surprising Outlook

If you know anything about Ohio, you know that THE Ohio State University has a presence that is ubiquitous, and often obnoxious, throughout the state. With that presence comes influence, and that is especially the case when talking about OSU football. So it's kind of a big deal that Outlook Columbus, the state capital's gay magazine, has published an interview with Buckeyes head football coach, Jim Tressel.

If you don't know anything about Ohio, or Jim Tressel, you might think of him as the dude who wears the sweater-vest (see picture). He's also known to be a fairly conservative guy, which isn't surprisng given the culture of college football. Apparently, he's also not easily persuaded to do a lot of interviews, making his willingness to talk to Outlook Columbus all the more interesting. But what is most interesting is the candor and thoughtfulness he demonstrates. When asked how he would handle an OSU player coming out as gay, Tressel answered (in part) as follows:

"We’ve had players who had different religions, players who came from different economic backgrounds, players who are parents, who are spouses, who are caring for ailing parents, who are wheelchair bound, who are battling cancer, and on and on. Whatever a young man feels called to express, I hope we will help him do it in a supportive environment. Everybody is important, and maturity is learning to find and appreciate those differences in others."

There's much more to the interview, and you can read it in full on Outsports.com. It's well worth the read, not because Tressel makes a big deal of someone's sexuality but precisely because he does not.