Colton Underwood only dated married men before coming out

Former reality television star and professional football player Colton Underwood has revealed that, while closeted and before his appearance on "The Bachelor," he exclusively sought sexual encounters with married men as a calculated strategy to protect his secret. Underwood, 34, made the disclosure during an episode of the "We Need to Talk" podcast released this week, explaining his mindset during a period of intense personal turmoil.

Underwood, who played as a linebacker and tight end for several NFL teams from 2014 to 2016, said he was terrified of being outed and feared for his career. He described a self-imposed rule of only engaging with married, straight men. "The only way that I could think of to protect myself is I would only hook up with married men. Married straight men," Underwood said. He reasoned that these men "had more to lose than I did" and would be less likely to expose their encounters, as doing so would risk their own families and reputations. He acknowledged this logic was "a messed up thing to think through," but said it was a form of self-preservation born from fear.

Following his football career, Underwood entered the public eye as a contestant on "The...