Gay college sports star attempted suicide after being blackmailed over sexuality
The Nike match ball infront of rainbow flags during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Newcastle United at Vitality Stadium on February 24, 2018. (Catherine Ivill/Getty)
Bryson Jones was desperate to keep his sexuality from his friends and teammates.
A promising young athlete has told of the moment he contemplated taking his own life after being blackmailed over his sexuality.
Bryson Jones was driven to the the desperate act after one his teammates discovered he was gay.
After some of his friend’s things was robbed from Jones’ car, he used Jones’ sexuality against him.
He forced Jones to replace his stolen items and give him cash, promising to reveal his friend’s closely guarded secret if he didn’t.
Although Jones managed to pay his blackmailer off, he says the incident drove him into the depths of despair.
“The fear of my teammates finding out I was gay scared the life out of me,” he wrote in Outsports.
“I no longer had control over who knew my secret.
“My biggest insecurity was now in the hands of someone who was willing to use my sexuality against me as blackmail.”
Jones eventually found himself alone in his apartment holding a bottle of pills and trying to find the courage to swallow them.
However, he soon realised that taking his own life would do irreparable damage to the live’s of the people he loves most.
“I decided my life was worth living,” he explains.
After graduating from Mercer University in Georgia, Jones decided to be honest with his friends, fellow teammates and his Christian family, who he says have shown him nothing but love and support.
“It is by no means easy being gay in today’s society, especially in the world of college athletics,” he concludes in the article.
“Being black and gay adds another entire level of difficulty, but I’ve been getting through it.
“I continually think, ‘is there a need to hide myself from the world anymore?’ I truly don’t think there is.”
Earlier this year, a college rugby star and former football player was praised after he came out as gay in a touching video.
