sport news Rio Ferdinand and Thomas Hitzlesperger praise Jake Daniels' 'brave decision' trends now Rio Ferdinand, Thomas Hitzlsperger and team-mate Kevin Stewart lead the praise for Jake Daniels' 'brave decision' after Blackpool forward became the only active openly gay professional player in Britain Jake Daniels has received much praise and support after coming out as gay Rio Ferdinand and Thomas Hitzlsperger have praised the Blackpool forward Midfielder Kevin Stewart has shown his support for his Blackpool team-mate The 17-year-old is the only active openly gay professional player in Britain By Jeorge Bird For Mailonline Published: 17:41 BST, 16 May 2022 | Updated: 17:48 BST, 16 May 2022 Viewcomments Blackpool forward Jake Daniels has been widely praised after coming out as gay. The 17-year-old is the only active openly gay professional player in Britain. Daniels is the first professional player in Britain to come out as gay since Justin Fashnau in 1990. A host of players and clubs have shown their support for Jake Daniels after he came out as gay Former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand stated that he has 'massive respect' for Daniels' 'brave decision'. Ferdinand wrote on Twitter: 'Massive respect for this brave decision. Let's all help create a safe and supportive environment for LGBTQ+ people in football and beyond!'. Massive respect for this brave decision. Let's all help create a safe and supportive environment for LGBTQ+ people in football and beyond! ???????? https://t.co/KUpCaYPap7 — Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) May 16, 2022 Blackpool team-mate Kevin Stewart showed his support for Daniels. Thomas Hitzlsperger, who came out as gay after his retirement, wished Daniels 'a wonderful career'. He wrote: 'Well done @JakeDaniels11 Have a wonderful career! Great to see the support of @BlackpoolFC and @stonewalluk to make this possible!'. The FA stated that Daniels is 'an inspiration to us all'. They wrote: 'Jake, you are an inspiration to us all and we fully support your decision to be open about this part of yourself. 'Football is a game for all, with diversity at its heart, and this is a hugely positive step as we strive to build an inclusive game that we can all be proud of.' Jake, you are an inspiration to us all and we fully support your decision to be open about this part of yourself.Football is a game for all, with diversity at its heart, and this is a hugely positive step as we strive to build an inclusive game that we can all be proud of. https://t.co/1Zm8RMeMbw — The FA (@FA) May 16, 2022 The Premier League stated that 'We support Jake and believe that football is for everyone'. We support Jake and believe football is for everyoneClubs & communities are stronger when everyone feels welcome, on and off the pitch. It's up to all of us to make that happen, which is why we should all speak out against discrimination and in support of the LGBTQ+ community pic.twitter.com/mWJ8o70iD5 — Premier League (@premierleague) May 16, 2022 Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility