Times have changed... move with them please

One can only imagine what Gareth Thomas has been going through since he knew where his sexual orientation lay.

Given the macho environment of the game - indeed most sports - the pressure to either tell his team-mates the truth or to conceal it must have been enormous.

In light of last week's revelations one casts their mind back to an appearance he made on BBC Wales' Scrum V programme in 2006 where he was embroiled in an argument with pundit (and ex-Welsh international) Eddie Butler over the departure of grandslam-winning coach Mike Ruddock.

Thomas looked as if he was about to explode and gave a performance which had people worrying for his well-being.

With the benefit of hindsight, they were probably right as later on that year, temporary coach Scott Johnson took Thomas to one side as he clearly saw that something was bothering him. Thomas duly opened up and Johnson - along with Gareth's team-mates Stephen Jones and Martyn Williams gave their support to their friend.

Welsh referee Nigel Owens' own coming out a year later highlighted that Wales was indeed a progressive nation with the support he received from those in the game which no doubt made the path easier for Thomas to admit his homosexuality to the public at large.

Many from the WRU, to Thomas' club Cardiff Blues, to ex-England and Lions coach Clive Woodward - along with a host of others have given their support to Gareth.

However, it seems that where rugby has evolved with the times, one or two other sports have a problem in accepting a professional athlete's sexual orientation.

Former NBA basketball star John Amaechi came out after he retired from the sport.

Some sneered that he only felt brave enough to do this once he quit basketball but as the man himself says he was playing in certain states within the USA whose laws on gay rights (or lack of them) did not reflect other states that were more forward-thinking.

The reaction by fellow NBA professionals also indicated the reason for his timing of the announcement.

While those like Shaq O'Neale and Charles Barkley were supportive, others showed how disgusting they were as human beings.

Tim Hardaway said: "First of all I wouldn't want him on my team. Second of all, if he was on my team I would really distance myself from him because I don't think that's right and I don't think he should be in the locker room when we're in the locker room. Something has to give, If you have 12 other ballplayers in your locker room that's upset and can't concentrate and always worried about him in the locker room or on the court or whatever, it's going to be hard for your teammates to win and accept him as a teammate."

Shavlik Randolph stated that he'd share the same locker room with Amaechi as long as he "didn't bring his gayness with him", while LeBron James said he "couldn't trust a gay team-mate".

Lest we forget that Amaechi himself admitted on radio last week that he receives at least one death-threat per month.

Closer to home, British football to date has only had one professional player who made his homosexuality public.

Justin Fashanu was not as fortunate as Gareth Thomas as the abuse and shunning he received was a shocking reflection on the British footballing culture of the day.

When at Nottingham Forest, Fashanu's manager Brian Clough found out long before his public admission that his striker was gay.

Clough later expressed regret but many years too late but one exchange documented in his autobiography read as follows: "I said to Justin, if you want a loaf of bread where do you go? He replied, 'the baker's boss'. I then asked where he would go to buy some steak. He replied, 'the butcher's boss'. To which I said, then what the hell are you doing going to that poofter's club?"

Coupled with his brother, Wimbledon and England striker John, disowning him (something he'd regret when it was far too late) and the abuse from the terraces every weekend, one can only imagine what the player went through.

Justin Fashanu committed suicide in May 1998 leaving a note which said: "I do not want to give any more embarrassment to my friends and family."

Sadly football it seems still has a problem. Trawling around various fan forums, those threads which discuss Gareth Thomas' announcement still see a majority of those posting as being not enlightened with the times. The minority who speak out are ridiculed as being part of the PC brigade (the usual convenient cloak to hide the accuser's own bigotry) or of being gay themselves (and this is not suggested in the nicest of manners).

A glance on various Welsh rugby forums show this trend to be the opposite and have by and large backed Gareth Thomas. Further afield, one fan of French aces Toulouse (who Thomas used to play for) stated: "Don't see how this affects him as a player. Anyway, Toulouse fans knew this a long time ago."

As I said at the start, so what? The only debate surrounding Thomas should be if the Cardiff coach decides whether or not bring him back from the replacements bench to the starting XV ahead of Ben Blair at full-back for Sunday's Magners League clash against Newport/Gwent Dragons?

Rugby's moving on, let's try and catch up folks.