David TestoOut soccer player David Testo sat down with Leander Schaerlaeckens for an immensely comprehensive profile for SBNation.com. It’s part of a new emphasis on long-form sports writing as part of the site’s new look.

Scaerlaeckens spent three days in Montreal with Testo to get rare insight into the life of the first former Major League Soccer player to come out of the closet.

It’s an amazing read that you can check out at SBNation, but here are the points that stood out for me:

  • David Testo struggled growing up gay in an area where he was taught being gay is an abomination, at times going to extreme lengths to hide who he was.
  • He details his relationship with MTV reality star Shane Landrum, and getting caught by fellow college athletes with him.
  • Perhaps the most candid parts are about his life as a pro player, falling for teammates, masking his sexuality, and self-medicating with alcohol.
It really is an immensely in-depth long form piece that I’ve barely begun to scratch the surface of here. It’s more than well worth a read at SBNation.