Professional Football (Soccer) Player. He was born in Shoreditch, England. At the age of 14, he was signed to Norwich City and by his late teens, he had risen to the first team. He sealed his reputation with a memorable goal against Liverpool. In 1981, he became the first black player to command a £1m transfer fee. He is widely remembered as the first professional soccer player to openly "come out" and admit he was gay. When Brian Clough, his trainer in Nottingham Forest learned that Justin was gay, he suspended him. In the fall of 1995, Fashanu joined American side Atlanta Ruckus of the A-League. In 1998, he was accused of a crime and despite his claimed innocence, he commited suicide, in east London. A suicide note was found with Fashanu's dead body that denied any criminal acts. Fashanu wrote: "The first I heard that I was a fugitive was when I turned on the television news. I realised that I had already been presumed guilty." He was listed at number 99 in the top 500 lesbian and gay heroes in The Pink Paper. Also, Gay activists held a memorial tribute in London, shortly after his death.
Professional Football (Soccer) Player. He was born in Shoreditch, England. At the age of 14, he was signed to Norwich City and by his late teens, he had risen to the first team. He sealed his reputation with a memorable goal against Liverpool. In 1981, he became the first black player to command a £1m transfer fee. He is widely remembered as the first professional soccer player to openly "come out" and admit he was gay. When Brian Clough, his trainer in Nottingham Forest learned that Justin was gay, he suspended him. In the fall of 1995, Fashanu joined American side Atlanta Ruckus of the A-League. In 1998, he was accused of a crime and despite his claimed innocence, he commited suicide, in east London. A suicide note was found with Fashanu's dead body that denied any criminal acts. Fashanu wrote: "The first I heard that I was a fugitive was when I turned on the television news. I realised that I had already been presumed guilty." He was listed at number 99 in the top 500 lesbian and gay heroes in The Pink Paper. Also, Gay activists held a memorial tribute in London, shortly after his death.
Bio by: José L Bernabé Tronchoni
Advertisement
See more Fashanu memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
