NFL Star Helps Struggling Gay Teen Overcome His Fear

New York Giants star receiver Victor Cruz has made it possible for one gay teen to enter a locker room again.

Six years ago, Joey Kemmerling, 19, came out privately to a few friends... only to have his secret spread across the entire school overnight. From that point on, Joey was shunned by the school's athletic teams; one kid threatened to light him on fire. He changed high schools four times and contemplated suicide.

"I was the fag," Joey recalls. "You could hear a pin drop every time I entered that locker room."

Who better to reintroduce the bullied youth back to sports than one of the best athletes in the world -- someone who faced discrimination himself? Victor described childhood memories of feeling split between communities as both a Puerto Rican and African-American. He brought Joey into Giants headquarters so the teen could be reacquainted with sports, and get the support of a pro who shared similar pain.

The meet-up was part of USA's "Characters Unite" series.

"I have not driven up to a stadium in years because sports have been a source of pain for me," Joey said as he arrived. "I have dealt with a lot of bullying, particularly from my school's sports teams."

While Joey has used his own experiences to support other kids who are bullied, the healing process has been long and drawn out. Revisiting the ghost of his past was difficult.

"I know it takes a lot of courage to come here," Victor told Joey when he entered the locker room. "I battled adversity when I was young. Where I grew up the Latins were on one side, and the African-Americans and everybody else was on the other side… when fights would break out, I would stand in the middle of it, and I would be called names and be ridiculed for staying out of the fights. I had friends on both sides."

Joey considers his day in the Giants locker room as closure, and a step in his journey that has included speaking before Congress.

"I found a voice, and I overcame it," he comments.

Victor adds, "We want to be that voice to say it's okay to be gay and play football and baseball and basketball."

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