Arizona State Sun Devils offensive tackle Chip Sarafin has come out publicly as gay. Sarafin becomes the first college football player in any major division. (Hat-tip to Outsports for finding the story from Compete Magazine).
Sarafin told his story to Phoenix-based Compete magazine, a publication for gay sports. The article by Joshua Wyrick focused on Sarafin's educational studies in biomedical engineering with his goal of becoming a neurologist and in his volunteer work. The part of Sarafin being gay is addressed in an oh-my-the-way manner near the end.
He came out to his Sun Devils teammates last spring, saying, "it was really personal for me and it benefited my peace of mind greatly."
Some awesome facts you might not know about Sarafin from the article.
Sarafin holds a degree in biomedical engineering already. He's planning on pursuing his master's degree after he's done with football. He is also preparing for the MCATs at the same time.
Sarafin is applying some of his research by working on a helmet with one of his professors that is designed with carbon fibers and is meant to be sturdier and better able to withstand hits. Sensor technology from his degree is a huge component of his research.
He originally wanted to go into nursing to be like his mom.
He participates in numerous community outreach programs, particularly to raise concussion awareness with youth. He also does work with the Pat Tillman Foundation.