Derrick Gordon, a basketball player from Seton Hall, is set to become the first openly gay player to participate in March Madness, the Huffington Post reports.
Gordon was the first Division 1 basketball player to come out as gay in 2014, when he was a player at the University of Massachusetts. Of course, the Seton Hall team has received a lot of media attention because of this, but Gordon’s not really interested in talking about his sexuality—he just wants to focus on playing the game.
This year marks the first time in 10 years that the Seton Hall Pirates will be going to the NCAA tournament. ThinkProgress reports that Gordon has been in the tournament three times, as he’s transferred a couple of times during his college career—but the first two times, he had not yet come out to his teammates.
While Gordon is still currently the only out Division I player, his team has been very supportive. In a 2015 USA Today interview Gordon’s coach, Kevin Willard, praised the team for their acceptance. “For us, the fact that he’s gay is an old story,” Willard said.
Clearly, Gordon is an accomplished athlete, but he should also be commended for coming out in the current athletic environment.