Gay hurling star wins book award
Donal Og Cusack, the Irish hurling star who came out in his autobiography, has won a prestigious award for the book.
The 32-year-old, who plays in goal for Cork All Stars, revealed he was gay in installments of his autobiography, published last month
He revealed he had slept with both men and women before realising he was gay.
The book, titled Come What May, won the Williamhill.com Irish Sports Book of the Year. A public vote also found it was the favourite contender.
Cusack said he been overwhelmed with the support he received from his teammates since making the decision to come out.
But he admitted his mother would not longer watch his games because she found the anti-gay slurs levelled at him hurtful.
In a statement, he said: “Taking the decision to write this book was a difficult one but once I decided, I knew it had to be an honest account of my life.
“Since publication, I have been overwhelmed with the response the book has received both here and abroad. Winning this award is a great honour for me and I would like to thank the judges and the general public for choosing my book from such a strong shortlist.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my family, friends, teammates and work colleagues for their unwavering support in the last number of years.”
Tony Kenny, PR manager for William Hill, said: “The quality of the award this year was outstanding, especially when you look at some of the books that didn’t even make the shortlist.
“Donal Og’s book is an excellently told story of a person with a huge dedication to their sport and someone who wasn’t afraid to put themselves forward as a role model to many in sport and life not just in Ireland but across the world.”
