Ruben Loftus-Cheek, a midfielder with Chelsea F.C., denied reports that he came out as gay to his teammates.
Tweeted Loftus-Cheek: ‘Any player who came out as gay, they'd have my full support and respect. But the rumour isn't true'
UK site JOE reported: ‘The rumour began to gain traction when a Twitter account by the name of ‘Eye Sports News' invented the rumour. They also attributed fake quotes from Loftus-Cheek's Chelsea teammate Eden Hazard, alleging that he said the Chelsea squad were surprised by the news…'
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There are currently no openly gay Premier League footballers. In the U.S., Collin Martin, a midfielder for Minnesota United, came out as gay in June, making him the only openly gay professional athlete active in any of the five major sports leagues: MLS, NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB.