Here's a great piece at ESPN about Toronto Maple Leafs and U.S. Olympic Team General Manager Brian Burke, and his son Brendan's coming out:
"Your dad thinks through everything. Dad is big, confident and
continuously radiates a persona that is rough, gruff, unrelenting and
unapologetic. He has a cold, expressionless poker face straight out of
a Clint Eastwood movie. Yet, he does this all with the most subtle of
Irish smirks that says there is more behind this thick skin. And there
is. He calls you "Moose" because you have always been a big kid. He
cares very deeply about you and your happiness. You say he has always
been there when you needed him. And he has a great sense of humor.
Imagine that. But on this night in 2007, you are petrified of your dad. Because
you, Brendan Burke, at 19 years old, are about to tell your dad, Mr.
Testosterone, that you are gay."
Brendan, a player himself, now works for the staff of the No.1-ranked hockey team at Miami University.
Here's a statement from Brian, from the article:
"I had a million good reasons to love and admire Brendan. This news didn't alter any of them.
I would prefer Brendan hadn't decided to discuss this issue in this very public manner. There will be a great deal of reaction, and I fear a large portion will be negative. But this takes guts, and I admire Brendan greatly, and happily march arm in arm with him on this.
There are gay men in professional hockey. We would be fools to think otherwise. And it's sad that they feel the need to conceal this. I understand why they do so, however.
Can a gay man advance in professional hockey? He can if he works for the Toronto Maple Leafs! Or for Miami University Hockey. God bless Rico Blasi! And I am certain these two organizations are not alone here.
I wish this burden would fall on someone else's shoulders, not Brendan's. Pioneers are often misunderstood and mistrusted. But since he wishes to blaze this trail, I stand beside him with an axe! I simply could not be more proud of Brendan than I am, and I love him as much as I admire him." — Brian Burke
