ND SPORTS
"Colleges have realized that this is
something that we want to be ahead of
the game on," Burke said. "It's always
easier if you've done the legwork before
an athlete comes out or before there is
an incident in a negative way."
Leaders from all 26 varsity sports at
Notre Dame have agreed to take part
in a video declaring that they welcome
LGBT athletes on their teams and in
their locker rooms. Dooley and the uni-
versity's student welfare office are also
planning an on-campus presentation
through You Can Play that will teach
the Irish athletes how to create an inclu-
sive atmosphere for all their teammates.
Burke's experience has been a re-
source for Dooley and Notre Dame dur-
ing the past six months as they pieced
together a thoroughly orchestrated
plan to broach the subject. Dooley and
a small group of other students first
approached the university to come up
with a plan shortly after he came out to
his teammates in September. Since then,
they have worked with a long list of
helpers to decide how to proceed.
"As soon as Matt decided this is what
Dooley, Notre Dame's first publicly gay student-athlete, is trying to make the future easier for others.
PHOTO BY KAITLYN KIELY
