sport news Cult New Zealand Test cricketer Heath Davis comes out as gay, admits to playing ... trends now
Cult hero New Zealand Test cricketer Heath Davis has come out as gay almost 20 years after retiring and admitted the sad truth about having to repress his sexuality while he was in the national tteam.
It was just one of many bombshell revelations from the 50-year-old, who now lives in Brisbane.
Davis played five Tests and 11 one-day internationals for New Zealand in the 1990s as well as 71 first-class matches in a career full of incredible stories.
He is the first Test cricketer from the country to reveal he is gay.
Heath Davis has come out as gay almost 20 years after retiring from professional cricket
Asked about rumours he'd played a game while high on acid, he replied, 'I had a trip, yes ... not advisable,' in an interview with "The Spinoff.
Davis said he first started to explore his sexuality on tour with the Black Caps in England in 1994, and would go out on his own in Soho - a part of London famous for its gay nightclubs.
'It was lonely going to saunas and seedy places to get sex because you didn't want to be seen,' said Davis.
'I was repressing it, I wasn't leading a gay life.'
Former New Zealand Test cricketer Heath Davis came out as gay in an interview 20 years after he retired from the game
Eventually, after spending most of his first-class career playing for Wellington, Davis realised he needed a change in scenery if he was going to be himself.
He moved to Auckland, where he says everyone in the team knew he was gay, and started to feel more comfortable about embracing his sexuality.
'I was a bit afraid of being out in Wellington ... I was sick of hiding it. There was this part of my life I needed to express,' Davis said.
'There were no issues aside from a bit of petty s**t from young guys in the team.'
After moving to Brisbane in 2004, the Kiwi had a shocking workplace
