Former Scottish footballer Zander Murray revealed to talkSPORT that David Coote reached out to him in 2022 when he first came out as gay.
Murray, who retired in late 2023, became the first Scottish footballer to come out as gay three years ago when he opened up about his sexuality.
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Murray, who began his career at Motherwell before dropping down the Scottish pyramid, has revealed Coote was quick to reach out to him following his news.
During their exchange, Murray declared how the ex-Premier League referee told him he was fearful of coming out himself.
Coote made the decision on Monday to disclose his sexuality, admitting to alcohol and drug abuse due which ultimately saw him dismissed as a top-flight official.
One drunken video that was leaked showed the 42-year-old calling ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp an ‘arrogant German c***’.
Meanwhile another showed him snorting a white powder during Euro 2024 last summer in Germany where he worked as an official.
And in his first interview since being sacked by the the referee’s body Professional Game Match Officials Limited [PGMOL] last month, a tearful Coote conceded a lifelong struggle to hide his sexuality was a contributing factor in his behaviour which saw him axed.
Coote has been subject to horrific abuse following his announcement, something ex-Bonnyrigg Rose forward Murray has slammed as he came to his defence.
Speaking to talkSPORT Breakfast presenter Shebahn Aherne, Murray opened up on how supportive Coote was of himself, while also lifting the lid on the former referee’s own demons.
He said: “David reached out to me when I came out, when I was getting a bit of media onslaught, when I was getting homophobic abuse on social media.
“I was just reading through the messages again and there’s no doubt about it, he resonated with my story back then and he was really, really struggling with his own sexuality back then.
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“Fast forward to now, what he’s done is obviously a huge error and a huge mistake and he’s been punished for that.
“The abuse that he’s getting, obviously the first onslaught and then now the homophobic abuse and threats, I think is absolutely disgusting.
“Now people are asking whether he is lying or is he just doing that to just make it easy for him.
“He was one of the first people to reach out to me and he definitely voiced that he was struggling with his own sexuality and using a vice for that, whether that be alcohol or drugs, I completely understand that because I’ve been in that position as well.”
Aherne then posed the question as to whether Zander could understand Coote’s decision-making, which ultimately led to the downfall of his career.
To which he replied: “Absolutely, I’ve been in this position for 16 years.
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“I’ve been in the closet playing football, he’s been in the football world for longer than that as well.
“I know for a fact that he’s immensely struggled with this for years, a long, long time.
“He’s really, really struggled with his own sexuality and the timing of it.
“I’m not in regular contact with him, but I can sort of vouch for the fact that he’s definitely not lying in regards to it. He has been struggling with this for a long time.”
Coote refereed 112 Premier League matches during his career, with his first outing coming in April 2018, while also officiating games in both domestic cups and in the EFL.
His most recent outing as a top-flight whistleblower was Liverpool’s 2-0 win against Aston Villa in November.
