He also spoke of the pain of watching a former straight schoolmate, then in Congress, march in Boston’s Gay Pride parade while he could not. His own twin brother did not know.

“I hated myself,” Humphries told teammates on Wednesday. “I was disgusted with myself.” He said he thought about suicide. Twenty years ago, he might have despaired of finding any other way out.

At least in this time, Humphries could be sure of the empathy of his teammates, his club and his sport. Cavallo also was received with welcome arms and warm hugs.

In truth, pro sport is not the issue. It is so closely monitored that bigotry is soon exposed. In any case, in my experience, sportspeople make a distinction between player and person. You can be whoever you want as long as you can play. After all, their livelihoods depend on it.

At lower, lesser policed levels, it is different. It’s like sledging in cricket, which can be more virulent in the parks than it ever is at Test level. The only slurs directed at Cavallo since he came out were delivered not on the pitch, but from over the fence at a Melbourne Victory game.

Monash University research finds that young gay men are deterred from team sport by homophobic language. “Gay boys play team sports like basketball at half the rate of straight boys because they feel unsafe and unwelcome,” says Dr Erik Denison. This helps to explain the scarcity further up the line.

That’s why Humphries is important. A common reaction at a time like this is that a man’s sexuality is no one’s business but his. You can be certain they all wish it were that simple. “If I had my way, someone else would already have done this,” Collins said in his time.

Humphries felt two weights: his secret and his status. “We as pro athletes have a responsibility to set an example for some people,” he said. “I want to represent those people. I’ve discovered that this is my purpose in life and I’m going to give it my best go.”

To the extent that social media is a gauge, most appear to have Humphries’ back. My favourite response was the simplest, from former Bulldogs captain Bob Murphy, who wrote: “Now, there’s a man.”

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