A gay ex-nfl player has come out and he’s San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle, Kwame Harris. He opened up about being a homosexual player, in the closet, throughout his NFL career in an interview with CNN Friday.

“You want to escape the despair and turmoil and your mind goes to dark places,” shares Harris about keeping his sexuality a secret. “I’m happy today, and I’m glad they were just ideas and I didn’t act on any of them.”

“The cost was great in asking me to not speak candidly or be able to open up about myself in a complete manner,” said Harris on the issue. “If I could have done it differently, I would have hoped I found the strength [to come out].”

Harris’ outing was unexpected, but was publicly done days before the Super Bowl after an altercation with a former boyfriend. His outing was met with a negative reaction from 49ers cornerback, Chris Culliver, who insists the statement was made tongue-in-cheek.

“I don’t do gay guys man,” Culliver said. “I don’t do that. No, we don’t got no gay people on the team, they gotta get up out of here if they do. Can’t be with that sweet stuff. Nah…can’t be…in the locker room man. Nah.”

Culliver later apologized for his comments saying, that “everyone is treated equally in our locker room.” He also visited several LGBTQ support groups.

Harris hopes that his experience and what he did can support others who are struggling with their identity.

He said that, "I want people, whether gay athletes, athletes still in the closet, or youths who are not sure what their sexuality is to know those are common feelings," He continues, “Don't feel alone in having them."