Former Brit Footballer Says Gay Rumors Sidelined Career

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

November 12 2012 8:53 PM EST

November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST

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Ian Bishop, a former footballer who never made it to Britain's major leagues, blames untrue gay rumors for stunting his career.

Bishop, 47, said in a recent interview that whispers about him being in a relationship with another player were the reason he was never recruited to Britain's top football teams.

"Nothing against gay people. People are free to be what they want and there's no issue. It didn't hurt me to be called it -- it hurt me because it affected my life," Bishop, who now lives in the U.S., told the Manchester Evening News. "In a way, it could have affected my international prospects at the time. I just thought if that's the way they think, then I'm not bothered anymore."