One more reason rugby player Ben Cohen is one of the coolest athletes in the world: He donated a signed jockstrap for use in a fund-raiser for GMFA, a British gay men’s health charity. It was auctioned off at the annual Gay Sports Day in London on Monday and fetched $460 (300 British pounds), according to a fan on his Facebook page. He also donated a framed T-shirt, though I could not yet determine what it went for.
Said Cohen before the event: “I am happy to support this year’s GMFA/RVT Gay Sports Day. Sport is an important part of my life and it’s great to see a community come together and enjoy sport in such a fun and accessible way. Plus it raises vital funds for the important work carried out by GMFA and the other charities which will benefit from the day. I would encourage everyone to form a team and take part or show your appreciation by making a donation on the day. I will personally be donating items that will be part of an auction at the end of the event. Best of luck to all the competitors and have a fantastic day.”
We have written for years about how Cohen embraces his gay fans and the feeling is mutual. His fan page on Facebook now has 80,000 friends, and Cohen regularly interacts with fans on the site. This prompted one fan to post:
Ben, oh Ben.. Tell me, what does you wife say, when you are sorta indirectly flirting with 80,000 gay men every day?
[But whatever she says, don't let her stop you...!!]
I could not find any shots of Ben in his jockstrap, but hope these suffice:
Hat tip to Pink Paper.
on Aug 31st, 2010 at 4:10 PM
i love to watch most of your videos cause they are fantastic.
on Aug 31st, 2010 at 4:25 PM
Ok, I just wanna know if it was a used jock. If it was I know someone would have paid a lot more for it.
on Aug 31st, 2010 at 5:47 PM
Now if only some American MLB players would be so inclined, imagine how much revenue could be raised for charity?
I’ll take one Brett Gardner, one Grady Sizemore and one Evan Longoria.
on Sep 1st, 2010 at 5:29 PM
One would think it would go for more money!
on Sep 5th, 2010 at 10:58 AM
Fabulous! Lol. I just had to write that. I’ve commented so much about this article in the last 10 minutes, that I’ve run out of descriptive terms for Mr. Cohen’s generosity, and graciousness. Simply divine! I agree with Patrick! Why are American sports players so damned homophobic?!?! It seems as though our entire culture is steeped in homophobia. Could you imagine what articles of clothing, of that nature would get at auction! Wow! It would sure help someone out! I’ll rephrase that, it would help some, people out. I just have one question, though. The donation is definitely appreciated, but where are the photos of this gorgeous Rugby player? The one’s in his jock strap!?! Haha, I would love to see those!