Irish Rugby Player Nick McCarthy Comes Out As Gay 

Leinster rugby player Nick McCarthy has come out as gay, revealing that he contemplated quitting professional football because of his sexuality. 

The scrumhalf paid tribute to Australian footballer and trailblazer Josh Cavallo for inspiring him to share his sexuality with the public and hopes that this will in turn inspire others to do the same. 

McCarthy has 18 caps as an Ireland under-20s player and was captain for the side in 2015. Having come out to coaches Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster in November last year before telling his teammates in January, McCarthy thanked his coaches for the support that they had provided him during this process. 

The experience since opening up has been “extremely positive”, McCarthy said. 

‘I Didn’t Think I Could Come Out While Playing Rugby’

The Irish footballer told Leinster’s website of the struggle that he felt when he was still closeted saying, “I struggled with coming out for a while and it was starting to impact on me and my happiness, so it was the right decision.”

He spoke of the struggles of coming out while still being active in the sporting field as a professional athlete, adding “It affected me so much that I agonised over my future and contemplated walkin