Leinster and Frontier athlete Nick McCarthy decided to publicly speak out about his sexuality today. 

Coming out publicly follows Nick coming out to his teammates earlier this year. This has not been an easy decision but the support Nick has received from his Leinster community, family and friends has helped him move towards coming out.

Nick’s decision to come out follows other high-profile athletes showing the same bravery of late, such as Carl Nassib (American Football player) or Josh Cavallo (Australian soccer player), Jake Daniels (soccer player) coming out and Jack Dunne in Leinster, has helped Nick a lot.

Leinster Rugby pride themselves on their togetherness as a group, the ‘brotherhood’. Leinster Rugby is a community within a community and the squad have shown Nick unconditional support. One of Nick’s teammates and good friend Adam Byrne said this of Nick’s decision to come out…

“Nick is a great teammate and even better friend, someone who is always there for you, I’m extremely happy and proud of Nick for coming out. I hope it not only helps Nick moving forward with his life but also other young men and women”

Nick is part of another community within a community, as part of Frontier Sports Management. Chris Best Head of Talent has said the following on Nick’s decision “Nick has shown incredible bravery over the last while, he has leaned on those he can trust to help get him to this point. He is an extremely popular guy, a fantastic rugby player and deserves the freedom that this decision will give him”

There is no doubt Nick’s decision will inspire a community to be more open and honest about their sexuality. He has proven that you can be brave and Leinster have demonstrated how to support a player who comes out, no doubt his decision will inspire many.