One interesting local connection to the Jason Collins story -- aside from the fact that he played briefly for the Timberwolves -- is that his former fiance, Carolyn Moos, is ONE OF US. The 6-6 Moos starred in high school at Blake -- that picture is from the All-Metro team in 1997 -- before going on to a prolific career at Stanford, where Collins also played. Per Rick Reilly (and thanks to JS for the heads up):
So you were shocked to hear that 7-foot NBA center Jason Collins is gay? You should talk to Carolyn Moos. She was engaged to him.
Moos, a former Stanford and WNBA center, dated Collins for eight years and was to marry him in 2009 until he suddenly called it off with a month to go.
Then: hurt, confusion and embarrassment. Today: answers.
Collins told Moos last weekend over the phone before coming out as the first male, gay active American team-sport pro athlete in a Sports Illustrated story Monday.
"I had to sit down," says Moos, now a personal trainer and nutritional consultant. "I was shocked. There's no words to really describe my reaction. ... But this does alleviate some of the pain. … I'm so happy for him. He deserves to live the life he wants."
