David Coote, once a Premier League referee overseeing some of soccers biggest clashes in the UK, has blown the whistle on his own past this time, not for a dodgy call on the pitch, but rather for the secret hes been carrying his whole life.In a bombshell interview with The Sun, Coote publicly came out as gay, revealing that hiding his sexuality in the hyper-macho world of professional soccer drove him to self-destructive behavior. Ive had issues around my self-esteem and that relates to my sexuality, Coote admitted. Im gay and Ive struggled with feeling proud of being me over a long period of time.This revelation comes after a stunning fall from grace. Coote was sacked by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in December following a series of controversies that sent his career into a tailspin. The tipping point? A video of him calling former Liverpool manager Jrgen Klopp a c*** while, as he later admitted, not sober. That was bad enough, but then The Sun published a separate video allegedly showing him snorting white powder at Euro 2024. The Premier League swiftly showed him the red card.Yet, Coote insists his behavior was symptomatic of deeper struggles. My sexuality isnt the only reason that led me to be in that position, he said. But Im not telling an authentic story if I dont say that Im gay, and that Ive had real struggles dealing with hiding that.See on InstagramThe fear of coming out in soccers notoriously aggressive environment weighed heavily on him. I have received deeply unpleasant abuse during my career as a ref, he revealed. And to add my sexuality to that would have been really difficult.He describes his years as an official as living a double sense of being capable of keeping his emotions locked up while making tough calls on the field, but struggling to reconcile his personal truth off it.In his interview, Coote admitted that he used cocaine as a form of escape, especially as the pressures of his job officiating over 90 games in a single season became unbearable.Since his dismissal, he has sought therapy and kicked his drug habit, reflecting on how far he fell. I dont recognize myself in the cocaine video, he said. I cant resonate with how I felt then, but that was me. I was struggling with the schedule, and there was no opportunity to stop. And so I found myself in that position escaping.Despite everything, Coote is owning his past and moving forward. To other people in my situation, Id say seek help and talk to somebody because if you bottle it up like I have done it has to come out in some way.The news, of course, has been met with some mixed reactions from the online world. Keep scrolling for some of our favorites. (@) "David Coote this weekend when PGMOL give him his job back after coming out" (@) "David coote woke up this morning in the mood" (@) "David Coote: But, Im actually gay! Football fans -" (@) "David Coote insulted Jurgen Klopp and took cocaine because he was gay?" (@) "David Coote at Anfield yesterday" (@) "Im confused, is David Coote saying he snorted coke and slagged off scousers and Klopp because hes.. gay?" (@) "Phillip Schofield and David coote dropping the gay card to get out of allegations ." (@) "The PGMOL making David Coote come out as gay just after he ruined their reputation" (@) "David Coote came out for no reason [crying emoji] [crying emoji] [broken heart emoji]" (@) "David Coote Hangs Up His Whistle [kissy face emoji] [eyes covered emoji]"