Dear Gay NFL Player(s),

I’m writing this open letter to you on behalf of myself, my team and the millions of others supporting you as you consider sharing the news about your sexuality with the rest of the world. You don’t owe anyone the privilege to know this about you but you do have a massive opportunity to BE the media and share your message, in your own voice, directly to the world on your own terms. I want to encourage you to make the announcement via social media channels.

There will be people who disapprove of your message; you and I both know this. With any form of innovation comes adversity.  There are also many NFL Players who support you. You are the media though; you have a spotlight with your own social influence. We now have the ability to shine that bright light on those who disagree and make them accountable for their words.

The opportunity in front of you to convert the support into action is enormous. For example, you have options like creating a crowd funding campaign to encourage people to support a foundation that raises awareness about this topic. Possibly you could even create your own Sports Equality Foundation and make it the beneficiary of the campaign. (Don’t forget to use a hashtag, by the way.)

Social media is alive, it moves real-time. If we have a cohesive plan to leverage all support and voices we can do a lot of damn good and I’m here to help. (I’m fired up about this, can you tell??)

As a mentor once told me, “Be real and use your best judgment.“ I’m sure everyone is giving you their opinion — from agents to publicists, teammates, family members, friends, etc. So, I had to speak up here too. That’s my advice. Social communication only amplifies and accelerates what already exists. That’s great news for us!

This is long overdue. You ARE the media. Own it if you want to.

Jump Hi-five,

Amy Jo Martin & Your Millions of Supporters