UK’s First Openly Gay Rugby Player Is Retiring

The UK’s first openly gay professional rugby player just announced that he’ll be stepping away from the sport at the end of the season. Keegan Hirst took to Twitter on Thursday to drop the news and thank his teammates and fans for their continued support.

“I’m moving onto the next chapter of my life, having taken so much and given so much (both ankles and a front tooth, to a name a few things) to the game that has been a constant in my life for over two decades,” the sports star said in a statement.

Before the famous rugby player came out in 2015, he was married to a woman and had two children. Hirst and his wife later split and the sports star told The Mirror that he felt compelled to come out to her after she blamed herself for their marriage ending.

Per The Mirror:

“I went to her and asked if I could have a word. My stomach was in knots. We sat at the kitchen table and I said, ‘There’s something I need to tell you’.

“I couldn’t get the words out, I felt like I was going to be sick. But I managed to say it.

“She didn’t say anything at first. I explained why and how I felt, it was very emotional. We were both in tears.

“She didn’t ask a lot of questions, but she was supportive. She was totally blind-sided. She’d had
absolutely no idea.

“It was incredibly tough, but for me it was a weird situation because it also felt liberating.”

Hirst also told The Mirror how his teammates reacted when he came out to them. By the time he became public with his sexuality, he had already played almost 200 professional games for Batley, Featherstone, and Dewsbury. Luckily for Hirst, his longtime teammates were supportive of his newfound sexuality.

“The support from my team-mates and other rugby league players has really surprised me, it’s all been positive.

“These are tough blokes. We go out on the field together and it’s 26 blokes knocking seven shades out of each other.

“But on the other side of it, you go through blood, sweat and tears together – and they’ve been there for me when I needed them most.”

Hirst hasn’t said what his next career move is going to be, but we’re assuming that he’s going to continue his work as a trainer. Right now he works in “helping gay men build incredible bodies and unstoppable confidence.” You check out his Instagram for progress photos from the people he’s worked with. In the meantime, let’s celebrate Hirst’s rugby career by looking at some hot snapshots from his Instagram: