A trailblazer, man of vision and footballer of this (or any other) year
FROM here, Jake Daniels could be anything. He could play for England, he could end up in the reserves at Newport County. Wherever he goes, whatever he achieves, however, he will do it as his own man.
He will be free. He said as much yesterday. The weight that lifted from his shoulders as he told people who he was. The four goals against Accring- ton Stanley that clearly symbolise his release.
Daniels says he hopes to inspire others and, yesterday, he most surely did. His bravery in being the only out, gay, male professional footballer in Britain will matter. There may be a trickle, perhaps a torrent, but it is hard to imagine he will be alone for long.
And then he, and everybody, can get on with their lives, as people get on as gay doctors, gay journalists, gay lawyers, gay accountants, gay men and women on the factory floor, in the office, at the shops.
Yet whether he’s a superstar or a super journeyman as a footballer, what he cannot be allowed to become from here is Jake Daniels, the Gay Footballer. With yesterday’s revelation there will be human interest in his story. We fascinate each other, that’s a species characteristic. Daniels’ tale needed managing — and was handled extremely well — because it was plainly going to make him the centre of attention. That won’t subside for a while. The next time he plays there will be cameras, reporters, one hopes well-wishers, the odd troll. Yet equally, there will be a time when he is just a footballer again.
We will look back and recall when that was a big thing, gay footballers, and feel slightly embarrassed that our society made it that way.
What it cannot be for this young man is a circus, with him in the ring. He can’t be the face of every campaign, the poster boy every time football wants to burnish its image. He has to go back to being a teenager trying to break into Blackpool’s first team. To being just Jake.
He has spoken brilliantly so far but that doesn’t mean he is ready to be shot from a cannon into the world of celebrity. One of the reasons he came out was because a secret existence was causing mental health issues. No matter how well he is coming across now, there must be care, a lot of care.
Being the hero, the groundbreaker, the spokesman for a generation can be very wearing. Lewis Hamilton at times appears exhausted by it, when asked once again to be the conscience of Formula One as it hitches its wagon to another brutal regime.
This is where Daniels will need some protection. He cannot be the go-to guy every time football needs to look enlightened. Idrissa Gueye apparently refused to play for PSG on Saturday, because his number was to be picked out in rainbow colours. What does Daniels think of that? Is he available for comment? Can he front our campaign?
Football is not, traditionally, a friend of the different, but we must hope Daniels has arrived in a wiser, kinder place. Support from teammates, from his club and from those who run, write and comment on the game appear to be unanimously positive. It helps that he has made the announcement in his time, and his way, rather than through some gruesome exposé.
We measure progress over years, and decades, and without doubt there are young footballers still in school who will one day cite this as their great inspiration. Yet, maybe, by the end of this very week, Daniels may not be alone.
There may be a player, perhaps a household name, reading his words, watching his interview and thinking if a 17-year-old from Blackpool can take this on, then he can, too. And that makes Daniels an accelerator; a truly great player, whatever his future holds. Whether at Wembley or Wycombe Wanderers, he’s a trailblazer, a man of vision, and a footballer of this, or any, year.