Disgraced ex-Premier League referee David Coote has come out as gay, expressing that his battle with concealing his sexuality was partly responsible for the offensive tirade that led to him being sacked last year. After footage of Coote berating former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp went viral on social media, he was suspended in October.

Speaking to The Sun, Coote confessed: "My sexuality isn’t the only reason that led me to be in that position. But I’m not telling an authentic story if I don’t say that I’m gay and that I’ve had real struggles with hiding that."

He reflected on how his tendency to mask his feelings as a young official, and his sexuality, while beneficial for his refereeing, was detrimental to him personally: "I hid my emotions as a young ref and I hid my sexuality as well — a good quality as a referee but a terrible quality as a human being. And that’s led me to a whole course of behaviours."

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Subsequent images published by The Sun in November, purportedly from Euro 2024, showed Coote allegedly inhaling a white substance using a rolled banknote. Coote confronted this depiction, admitting: "I don’t recognise myself in the cocaine video," but clarified that his past difficulties with handling his workload led him down a path of escapism: "I was struggling with the schedule and there was no opportunity to stop. And so I found myself in that position — escaping."

He admitted to resorting to drug use intermittently, acknowledging it as one of his ways to evade professional pressures: "I’ve had long periods where I’ve not used it — but it was one of the escape routes I had. Just getting away from the stresses, the relentlessness of the job. It fills me with a huge sense of shame to say that I took that route."

Coote disclosed that both he and his late mother had been the targets of death threats due to his on-field decisions, highlighting the severe toll such abuse can take on referees' mental health.

"I’ve received death threats during my career," Coote admitted. "I’ve needed an accelerated response tag on my home address for me to speak to the police in an emergency. I’ve also had messages from irate supporters hoping that I had an accident on the way home from a game. I’ve struggled and I’ve tried to get through it in my own way and made poor decisions in doing so."

In a statement issued late Monday night, Coote expressed remorse: "This has been one of the most difficult periods of my life. I take full responsibility for my actions, which fell way below what was expected of me. I am truly sorry for any offence caused by my actions and for the negative spotlight it put on the game that I love. I hope people will understand that they were private moments taken during very low times in my life. They do not reflect who I am today or what I think."

"My focus now is on continuing to prioritise my mental health and wellbeing. I hope that my experiences, both on and off the field, can be utilised in football at some point in the future.

"Finally, I want to thank everyone who has supported me recently, in particular my family, friends, former colleagues, PGMOL and Howard Webb, and countless people across football. Special thanks also to the many strangers who have reached out with words of encouragement and support, I have appreciated it more than I can properly express."