Jason Collins became the first active NBA player to come out,
and the Shepards say his example will be a model to young people.
BY Lucas Grindley
May 01 2013 12:13 PM ET
Among the touching details that Jason Collins revealed
when coming out in that Sports Illustrated op-ed was the revelation that
his number, 98, is actually a tribute to Matthew Shepard. And when she heard that, Shepard's mom said it moved her to tears.
"To
hear the story behind his number, well, I cried," said Judy Shepard
during an interview with Headline News. "I thought it was such a tribute
to Matt, to Matt's story, and to so many other yon people who are
struggling. His own silent, private tribute, I was very moved."
Matthew
Shepard is the gay college student who was murdered in Wyoming in an
infamous hate crime in 1998. During President Obama's first term, a
federal hate crimes law was passed that bears his name.
Collins
is the first active NBA player to come out, and he had worn a jersey
number in honor of Shepard without ever explaining why.
"When I put on my jersey I was making a statement to myself, my family and my friends," Collins wrote in the op-ed.
In the video below, watch the entire interview with the Shepards during which they talk about Collins' impact on young people.
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