Jake Daniels has told fellow Blackpool star Marvin Ekpiteta that he's "proud" to be his teammate following his apology after historical homophobic tweets resurfaced.
Daniels came out as gay this week, becoming the first active male footballer since Justin Fashanu in 1990 to do so. The footballing community has come out in support of the teenager but one of the players closest to him has faced backlash for social media tweets which were posted when he was a teenager.
Ekpiteta has come out an apologised for the comments, which are almost a decade old, and backed Daniels following his decision. Daniels has now accepted his apology and claimed he is "proud" to be his teammate.
In a lengthy post, Ekpiteta wrote: "I want to wholeheartedly apologise for the offensive and completely inappropriate language I used, and for the sentiments I expressed.
"As a footballer, and in the years spent in work, before I became a professional player, I've been fortunate to have worked with a wide and diverse range of people. Throughout this period, I have developed and grown as a person. Yesterday, I was proud of Jake and all involved at Blackpool FC for what is a hugely positive moment for football as a whole.
"I am embarrassed by the comments I made as a 17-year-old, nearly a decade ago, which do not in any way reflect the values I hold now or the beliefs I have as a person or as a team-mate. Football needs to be a place where everyone can feel free to be true to themselves, and I am upset that the comments I previously made suggest otherwise. I take full responsibility for these posts, and I am sorry."
Daniels said: "What you said ten years ago at 17 years old doesn’t define the man you are today. I am proud to be your team-mate and to be part of the Blackpool family. We are all moving football forwards together."
The Blackpool teenager, who spent time on loan this season at non league side Bamber Bridge, claimed his decision was motivated by his want to be "free and confident" about his sexuality.
He told Sky Sports : "Now is the right time to do it. I feel like I am ready to tell people my story. I want people to know the real me. I have been thinking for a long time about how I want to do it, when I want to do it. I know now is the time. I am ready to be myself, be free and be confident with it all."
He also added: "I can't really put a date on it, but I was probably five or six years old when I knew I was gay. So it's been a long time that I have been living with the lie."
