This is how I feel. What doesn’t help is him telling/selling his trauma story to The Sun.
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[Football] David Coote
- Thread starter Is it PotG?
- Start date
Because he’s gay?
I reckon the deal was simple. The Scum were about to expose his sexuality or something he wanted to remain private unless he did the interview.
They are shameless and I hope they are investigated post-Harry and shut down.
That said, I think we need to take a long hard look at ourselves.
Refs are human beings. Like all of us they make mistakes. Like all of us, they deserve to be allowed a life free from fear outside of football.
Perhaps we should do away with them and let AI ref games. But then, who would we rail at? The machines?
If someone is making death threats towards refs they need to just grow up. And the rest of us need to root them out and stop it. Coote’s actions and words aside - clearly said in private drunken moments - do not allow any of us to pursue refs in this way.
Oliver’s red card was in our view a subjective mistake. But it was subjective. We shouldn’t be hanging him out to dry for it.
I need to remember this at the next game I’m at. I’m happy to use the ref as the panto villain on the stage, but the second the final whistle blows it stops.
These guys spend 90 minutes of their lives each game trying to both ref the rules and see through the cheating antics of 22 players. Let’s remember that. They are going to make mistakes because players are setting traps.
#TeamRef
How cynical? Do you believe he’s gay and that he hid it while a referee? Surely that bit is true. Being gay and having to hide it can’t be the nicest thing - how upsetting or traumatic isn’t something I can judge.
So at worst he’s slightly embellished the truth to make a better story. Given he lost his income and getting a new job might be a bit tricky, I can’t blame him for taking the Sun’s money.
You'll have to explain then because from where I'm sitting he's got complex issues and didn't really feel like he fitted in to what is still a very macho and heterosexual world. He was then stitched up by a Twitter grass and possibly again by the worst tabloid in the country.
His behaviour is far from ideal but it is understandable.
just looks a sob story to me . to try to save his credibility , just my opinion
- Jan 3, 2012
- 17,512
On the contrary to a great extent as far as I’m concerned.
Mellor 3 Ward 4
Well-known member
I disagree.
Prove he's drug free, and I wouldn't be against him reffing again
He made a mistake, we've all made them.
Shouldn't wreck his life - he didn't kill/maim someone.
nickbrighton
Well-known member
- Feb 19, 2016
- 2,262
I'm of the opinion this was a case of either you give us an exclusive and we will be "sympathetic" or we will do even more of a hatchet job. They do have form iirc. My best guess would be that someone has crawled out the woodwork and offered a kiss and tell to the sun
Imagine the headline "gay sex shame of disgraced football referee" "Shamed Ref targeted younger man on sleazy gay sex app Grindr" type of thing
I think they did a similar thing to get an exclusive about a pop idol, x-factor winner-may have been Will Young way back
So although some will assume he is just trying to get a payday with this, I doubt its as simple as that
aolstudios
Well-known member
Well, exactly.
This has been coming since the beginning
aolstudios
Well-known member
They were likely involved from the beginning
Greg Bobkin
Silver Seagull
- May 22, 2012
- 16,624
That paper was the first to post the the video of him snorting coke, if I remember rightly, so I think it's highly likely.
I get that it might have been the case they were going to out him, so he went public. But why not choose a more forgiving newspaper?
- Apr 5, 2014
- 26,776
The Sun have history on these matters. More than one person has come out to them. More than one person has come out to tabloids because it was either that or they ran the story anyway without collusion. Stephen Gateley was forced out because the story was about to be sold.
So we don't know what happened here.
David Coote was foolish to say what he did on camera. But, if you look earlier in the thread, a lot of people agreed with it. A change in tone from some now.
So, yes, you might expect to lose your career. But he hasn't done anything deeply offensive to society. If a footballer was on video slagging of his manager or taking cocaine they wouldn't be sacked. But unfortunately Coote's is more complex than that. He can't really ref again.
But I don't hate on him. I more have issues with the toad who released the original footage. The bloke has suffered enough for what is, based on what we know, not a lot in the grand scheme of life.
I feel sorry for his situation. I like to think it's because I'm just human like him. Yes, he brought it on himself, but in life folk f*** up sometimes.
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nickbrighton
Well-known member
- Feb 19, 2016
- 2,262
If we assume they had got and were going to run the story, there is a very good chance that the approach from them would have been along the lines of "we are running this story tomorrow whether you like it or not, either give us the exclusive or this is all over the paper in the morning. He wouldn't have had time to do a deal with another paper before the sun ran the story-like I said in an earlier post-the sun have form for what is effectively blackmail- it appears it was Stephen Gately that was forced to out himself in the Sun for this exact reason
Milano
Well-known member
It sums this man up that he’s giving this interview to the one paper that is the most to blame for the ‘scared to come out’ culture around football.
What's the difference between him and footballers testing positives.
6 months ban, test him regularly and let him back.
I'm shocked they are not drugs tested already?