Brittney Griner Claims College Coach Told Her To Hide Sexuality

In a new interview with ESPN, Brittney Griner has revealed that Baylor University head coach Kim Mulkey asked her to conceal the fact that she was gay and claimed that not doing so might jeopardize recruitment for the team. 

ESPN reports:

In a series of interviews -- including one on camera Friday -- for an ESPN The Magazine and espnW.com story set to hit newsstands later this month, Griner said her silence during college was because Mulkey and her staff were concerned about the program's image.

"It was more of a unwritten law [to not discuss your sexuality] ... it was just kind of, like, one of those things, you know, just don't do it," Griner said Friday. "They kind of tried to make it, like, 'Why put your business out on the street like that?'" 

But Griner reiterated on Friday that her sexuality was an open secret at Baylor.

"I told Coach [Mulkey] when she was recruiting me. I was like, 'I'm gay. I hope that's not a problem,' and she told me that it wasn't," Griner said. "I mean, my teammates knew, obviously they all knew. Everybody knew about it."

Watch the ESPN interview with Griner, in which she addresses the above, AFTER THE JUMP.

WNBA Top Draft Pick Brittney Griner Comes Out as Gay: VIDEO

Brittney Griner, the  three-time All-America centre at Baylor who was the top pick in Monday's WNBA draft and is now headed to play for the Phoenix Mercury spoke about her sexuality for the first time in an interview Wednesday with SI.com.

Said Griner when asked by SI host Maggie Gray why there's a difference between acceptance of gays in men's versus women's sports:

"I really couldn't give an answer on why that's so different. Being one that's out, it's just being who you are. Again, like I said, just be who you are. Don't worry about what other people are going to say, because they're always going to say something, but, if you're just true to yourself, let that shine through. Don't hide who you really are."

Gray asks how difficult it was for her to come out:

"It really wasn't too difficult, I wouldn't say I was hiding or anything like that. I've always been open about who I am and my sexuality. So, it wasn't hard at all. If I can show that I'm out and I'm fine and everything's OK, then hopefully the younger generation will definitely feel the same way."

Watch the full interview, AFTER THE JUMP...

WNBA Star Seimone Augustus Speaks Out About Proposing to Her Girlfriend, Marriage Equality: VIDEO

Seimone Augustus, a guard for the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA, talks to the AP about proposing to her girlfriend and the hope she has that one day marriage equality will come to Minnesota.

"I felt like it was the perfect time for me, being on a platform where I can make a change with my voice and my situation," Augustus told The Associated Press. "Maybe inspire someone else to come out and be comfortable with themselves. Or maybe someone else's parents will see my parents saying that it's OK to be with your child and love your child unconditionally regardless of your sexual preference."

It seems, however, in the interview, that Augustus thinks that the November ballot measure will legalize same-sex marriage in Minnesota, which it won't. If it doesn't pass, it will simply mean that there's no constitutional ban on it. Perhaps one day they won't have to go to Iowa to be married, but it won't be soon.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...