FORMER Premier League referee David Coote has opened up about his sexuality struggles and substance abuse during his time as an official.
Coote was officially sacked in December after an independent investigation into an explicit rant filmed during the pandemic.
Two clips surfaced on social media platform X which captured Coote naming former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp ‘a German c**t’ along with other derogatory comments about the Liverpool boss at the time, followed by a video of the former official taking class A substance.
The English official was immediately suspended when the clips leaked on 11th November 2024, before he was sacked indefinitely a month later for being ‘in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract.’
In an interview with The Sun on Monday night, Coote, 42, said ‘I hid my emotions as a young ref and I hid my sexuality as well, and that led me to a whole course of behaviours.’
‘I didn’t come out to my parents until I was 21. I didn’t come out to my friends until I was 25.’
He added: ‘I’ve had issues around my self-esteem, and that relates to my sexuality. I’m gay and I’ve struggled with feeling proud of ‘me’ for a long time.’
Coote never publicly discussed his personality during his time as a referee, and this incident has allowed him to open up. ‘I have received deeply unpleasant abuse during my career as a ref and to add my sexuality to that would have been really difficult.’
‘My sexuality isn’t the only reason that led me into that position. But I’m not telling an authentic story if I don’t say that I’m gay, and that I’ve had real struggles with dealing with hiding that.’
Following the initial surfacing of the videos during the pandemic, further photographs and videos leaked which reveal David Coote using cocaine. Coote claimed ‘It was one of the escape routes I had. Just getting away from the stresses, the relentlessness of the job. It fills me with a huge sense of shame that I took that route.’
‘I don’t recognise myself in the cocaine video.’ Coote added. ‘I can’t resonate with how I felt then, but that was me. I was struggling with the schedule and there was no opportunity to stop. And so I found myself in that position – escaping.’
Finally, Coote penned an apology to the public: ‘I am truly sorry for any offence caused by my actions and for the negative spotlight it put on the game I love.’
‘I hope people will understand that they were private moments taken during very low times in my life. They do not reflect who I am today or what I think.’
