VIDEO: First Openly Gay Major League Soccer Player Speaks with CBS

Robbie Rogers, the first ever openly gay Major League Soccer player, said today on CBS THIS MORNING  that the locker room culture can be "brutal," and that was part of the reason he was afraid to come out as gay. Watch the appearance in full below!

"I very much would just keep it to myself," Rogers told co-hosts Charlie Rose, Norah O'Donnell and Gayle King in the interview which was broadcast today, June 3, 2013, on CBS THIS MORNING (7:00-9:00 AM) on the CBS Television Network.   "I had that much fear that if I told people that, maybe I wouldn't be able to play the sport. That other people would find out without me being able to tell them. So I wouldn't tell anyone. I wouldn't even write it down. I just had so much fear that someone would find out. I was just really scared."

Rogers said he believes the attitudes will definitely change.  "Once athletes figure out that or realize that they won't be treated any differently, and that they'll be judged on their performance, just like any athlete, then I think they'll all feel free to be open with people," he said.

Excerpts from the interview are below.

Gayle King: Robbie, we had a sportscaster here who said that the locker room culture is very real. That it's very intimidating for men. Do you agree with that? Do you think there is something that happens in that locker room that makes it very difficult?

Robbie Rogers: Yes, definitely. I would say playing in England, it was even more difficult. The locker room there was brutal. I mean, awesome guys. I wouldn't say they're homophobic, I'd say that pack mentality is a bit malicious. But here, you know, there's the banter, there's the jokes, and sometimes you can hear things that get quite malicious and that's what kind of scars you and builds that fear.

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