i featured his sister in the back of the book, martina, of very courageous soul. sheikh move a mountain of public opinion in troy's savior -- their growth in the world would have not known about him without her herculean efforts and there was a drum beat that intensified over the last several years to save him and it culminated on the last day with a look like the supreme court would grant him another reprieve he had for execution dates in his lifetime. an engine and psychological torture involved there. but ultimately they said we will proceed full speed ahead and his execution hour was pushed back four hours and executed at 11:00. >>host: what is the status of the death penalty today? >> it is still viable on the books. the federal death penalty is not used very much. the action to repeal or maintain the death penalty is taking place at the state level. 17 states have repealed the death penalty. maryland is very close. next rica bill will be introduced to not only abolished the death penalty but to use the savings from what the state spends on maintaining a flaw

i feature his sister in the back part of the book who is a courageous soul and martina moved of opinion in choice favor i don't think people would have known about him if not for her heard -- herculean efforts and there was a drumbeat to try to save him. it culminated on the last day when it looks like the supreme court would grant him another reprieve. he had for execution dates in his lifetime imagine the psychological torture involved there but also -- ultimately they said no. his execution hour was pushed back about four hours and was executed at 11:00 p.m. >>host: what is the status of the death penalty in the west today? >> it is still viable and on the books but the federal death penalty is not used very much. the action to repeal or maintain the death penalty is taking place at the state level 17 states have repealed the death penalty. maryland is very close next week a bill will be introduced not only to abolish the death penalty but use the savings from what the state spends from the flood death penalty system to invesom the flood death penalty system to invest that in program

martina navratilova tweeted these good vibes to collins -- well done jason co a brave man and a big man at that. 1981 was the year for me. year for you. kind of an interesting comment, kind of reminding people thatg time ago. joining me now from california is rick welts, president and ceo of the nba's golden state he's gay president of the phoenix suns in 2011. you might recding about that. and from washington, d.c. dave zerin sports writer for "the nation." rick let's start with you. you went through this very public process just a couple of years ago. what is your message to jason collins? >>ell, you think what happened very courageous thing. there's been a lot of anticipation a lot of buildup to who would be the first active player to taketory today, i was very moved by it obviously, you know touched by how difficult this path h been point in his life where this is important to him, and iook back this as a had historic day in men's team sports. >> rick when you came out of closet, did you think that would cause any current nba players to follow your lead? >> well, i don't know that y

>> people are forget be martina navritolova when she came out years ago the crowd and press hated her. she lost her endorsements. why wouldn't you want to buy a pair of shoes because she's gay. >> you could argue that she was coming out in a lets gutsy way. there was rumor for a long time that there were a lot of women on the tennis tour that were gay. cenk: that was 30 years ago. it was more courageous from that sense. jason collins said she's my hero mentioned her and said that's my role model. cenk: the president didn't call her and tell her he was proud of her. cenk: in a way i know this is weird, but i feel somebody should have stepped up and raised their hand earlier. you know like it's been too long when somebody finally raises their hand and everybody says great, fantastic. >> such a high stakes game. >> it is, it's about money too. if people rallied to martina's support, they worried the women's tennis tour might have lost support. in other words, it's about money, as well. cenk: the final point is nike actually now giving a contract to a lesbian basketball player. they could

martina navratilova, for one. but in america's team sports gay athletes like baseball's billy bean only came out after they retired. jason collins changed that. >> gay athletes have been in the closet, feeling like it's a possibility to come forward in what jason did today is incredible. >> reporter: one brave 7-footer, his career not over, but the rest of his life just beginning. mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. >> other reaction from the sports world was mixed with one popular radio host calling it a nonstory. >> i really don't care. it means less than nothing to me that there's a gay player now out in the nba. there are plenty of gay people in america. you got to figure some of them are playing sports. >>> and while reaction has been mostly positive even prompting a phone call from president obama saying he was impressed by collins' courage, espn's chris broussard from "outside the lines." >> i believe that's walking open rebellion to god and jesus christ. >> espn later apologized and said the comments was a

it's celebrities who let you know what it takes to win in life-- chris evert, nate adams, and martina mcbride. this is how to overcome. [captioning made possible by challenger films] >> ♪ caught in the fallout i know there's a way out... ♪ >> i'm apolo anton ohno. see how you can overcome when life gets tough. >> hi. i'm lisa leslie. find out how to have the real winning edge over life's challenges. >> ♪ not lost in the crowd i finally see what i can be now i'm alive ♪ >> she was told she would always be handicapped, when we return.

and world famous tennis player martina n martina navritalova cents this tweet, well done, jason collins. you are a brave man and a big man at that. 1981 was the year for me. 2013 is the year for you. >> with each player that comes out there will be less and less of a big deal which is exactly what we want. >> reporter: the white house was also asked to weigh in. >> we view that as another example of the progress that has been made and the evolution that has been taking place in this country. >> reporter: it is a watershed moment but what happens next for collins' career and how he'll be treated by others away from the public eye is not known. but his former coach, boston celtics doc rivers, compared this moment to jackie robinson, number 42, breaking down another sports barrier. rivers tweeting quote, if you have learned anything from jackie robinson, it is that teammates are always the first to accept. it will be society who has to learn tolerance. lisa sylvester, cnn, washington. >> nba commissioner david stern also commended jason collins today. the nba players association expressed

openly gay athlete competing in individual sports, martina navratilova and billy bean only came out after they retired. jason collins has changed that. >> male athletes have been in the closet and are feeling like it is a possibility to come forward. what jason did today is incredible. >> one brave seven-footer, his career not yet over, the rest of his life just beginning. mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles >>> other reaction from the sports world was mixed with one popular radio host calling the news a nonstory. >> i really don't care. it means less than nothing to me that there is a gay player now out in the nba. there are plenty of gay people in america. you have to figure some of them are playing sports. >> while reaction has been mostly positive, even prompting a phone call from president obama saying he was impressed by collins courage, chris brassard drew fire for these comments on outside the lines. >> i believe that is walking in open rebellion to god and to jesus christ. >> espn later apologized calling his comments a distraction. collins revealed his number, 98, is an out spoke

martina navratilova talks about -- talked about that. she was outed in the prime of her career. in a sense that maybe you would not even have a career anymore. maybe if the code of the locker room was broken him if there was a sense of brothers -- all of a sudden, you have one man who is honest and truthful and courageous, but now he is ostracized. does that change the chemistry for the team and effective for -- the performance -- and affect the performance on the field of play? >> isn't there something about proving your manliness. a british rugby player came out -- a welsh rugby player. you could not get much more macho than welsh rugby. >> you see it even with the little kids. the boys playing peewee football and baseball. even with that -- with jason collins talking about that. he wondered if he was such a tosical player, in some way make up for what he knew inside. seven7' feet tall -- feet tall. he is a wonderful teammate, april's pro -- a pro's pro. to think that this is the face of a gay man in sports, i think it is wonderful from the standpoint of smashing stereotypes.

tennis legend martina navratilova for one. but in america's team sports, gay athletes like baseball's billy bean only came out after they had retired. jason collins has changed that. >> male athletes have been in the closet, are feeling like it's a possibility to come forward. what jason did today is incredible. >> reporter: now even our most macho team sports offer another lesson. >> it's good that he's coming out and he's transparent about it. it breaks the ice. >> reporter: one brave seven-footer, his career not yet over, but the rest of his life just beginning. mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. >>> it was six months ago today, october 29 of 2012, hurricane sandy came ashore northeast of atlantic city, new jersey. what a legacy it left behind. 159 people lost their lives and the storm surges and winds brought a staggering $78.8 billion in damage to the northeast. nbc's katy tur has been covering the storm since that night six months ago. she's with us tonight from seaside heights on the jersey shore. good evening. >> repo

. >> hundreds of people gathered on sunday to raise money for aaron hearn, the 11 year-old martina as white injured in the boston marathon. they held a fund- raiser at alhambra high school. money raised lows of the family to help with aaron's recovery. family and friends say aaron will be back in martina's area and about a week in his 12th birthday is on wednesday. we will take a break with live pictures of the cemetery of bridge. that is a hot spot georgia is following, he will have an update for you in just a minute. omomg,g, stop. jack, your new chipotle chicken club is craze amaze. annnd chipotle is totes trending. spspicicy crispy chicken, hicky smoked bacon,on memeltlting cheese, and smokyycs anand d a drink for $4.99? tht combo is chipot-cray. anand d chipotle is my hashtag faveflave. lelet t me guess-you're the nw social media intern.nt yeyeahah! grgreaeat. i'm late for a mee. can you make some copies? .....w.with the tanning bede [ male announcer ] it's no secret that the price of things just keeps going up. [ female announcer ] but we have some good news. it's our bundle pri

baseman brandon mock and right fielder josh reddick coco to me with a 11 year-old aaron hearn, the martina's boy injured in the boston marathon bombings sometime this morning at boston's children's hospital. the a's with boston last night and will start a three game series with the red sox today at fenway park. turning his family have already received some high-profile guests, including the first lady who visited him last thursday. meantime, you're back in the bay area kinder still in martinez is showing support for young boston bombing victim aaron hearn was badly wounded by shrapnel. aaron's death, at one turn, is a football coach at alhambra high school in martinez. yesterday, all workers of the delhi supported allegorize school football jerseys to show support of 11 year-old eric turner and his family. tenders is donating 15 percent of itself to the first family. erin hart under and servers at boston's children's hospital last week and is expected to make a full recovery. no word on when he is expected to come home. downtown san francisco starting with 80 and 14 degrees was warmer than a

the city of martina's is a close-knit community. >> when word went out that one of their own became victims of the boston marathon attack, they sprung into action. the owners of the i am roxx restaurant on main street held a fund- raiser dinner that was supported and promoted by the restaurant. if people from all from martinez came out to support the of hn family and to enjoy the meal. owners of the restaurant say that they stopped counting meals once it hit about 150 people. >> migrant children go to school with him and we just wanted to do something to help. >> the turnout was pretty good, it was phenomenal. we sold out and we had to shut the doors. it was very successful. >> although full was donated for the event. all the money that was raised of the fund raiser will be given to the family to help out with medical and travel expenses. >> we will continue to follow this developing story and bring you the latest updates from kron 4 and on our web site at kron4.com >> we might have a problem with george is a microphone and would try to get this fixed. here is a look at the maps and there i

i mean, 30 years ago, martina lost billions of dollars because she said i'm a lesbian. i think there are a lot of companies looking to align with him. he has suddenly reached a stratospheric level in terms of endorsements that didn't exist yesterday. he said jason has been a widely respected player and teammate throughout his career and we are proud that he has assumed this leadership meantle on this very important issue. will that be influential or not? >> if the league is behind you it helps. if you parse that, i think the implication is that he is a leader. this is not a lone boat in the harbor. i think we're in a much different place than we were a few years ago. the league support is another indication of that. we are seeing this as a pioneer and not a loan actor. >> i just want to chal listening you on that idea. the reason he says he is raising his hand is because nobody in a major american sport, no male has done this so far and he thinks it's about time. clearly there are costs otherwise there would be more than one. there must be major costs in doing this, wha

, we're talking about leadership from the top, a large number of public figures, ellen deagainries, martina navratilova, gay lifestyles and acknowledging publicly that one is attracted to people of the same sex is not such a big deal anymore. the only sticking point is on the right, and on people who happen to believe that religion plays a role in how this should be shaped. my reading of the bible instructs us to love one another, but to have this notion that the bible declaires homosexuality as a sin that can never be constructed, they deserve every bit as much love and every bit as much acceptance as the rest of us do because they would give it in return in large measure. what doc rivers is saying counter balances what the miami dolphins player said. >> michael: yeah, that's an interesting thing you bring up too, joe is will collins receive a contract. i follow sports pretty closely. here is a guy who has played all over the league unspectacular answer nba pro. do you think this helps him to get another nba contract? >> well, it depends. certainly on the twitter verse, certainly sports ta

. >> the 11 year-old martina boy was injured in the boston bombing was released from the hospital. aaron hearns and the day during the bomb site yesterday. he was injured by the second blast while waiting for his mother near the finish line. his parents at love and support they have received has been overwhelming. >> so much gratitude. the people of boston, i cannot say enough about how... how amazing this staff at children's hospital was. >> the hon family has long love boston. instead of instilling fear in that day, that has only increased their finest of the city. -- find nestfinis >> some members of a north a little league best baseball team that made it to the world series last year are now in trouble for allegedly gang up on a teammate. the press democrat the santa rosa reports for members of the petaluma national little league team were suspended for two days from petaluma junior high. this is video the scene being honored by the giants last year. they're accused of having a scuffle with a teammate and a school stairwell. the incident happened sometime this month. the school

>> i think historically, martina, the tennis star who was out long ago always felt it hurt her endorsements but that was literally decades ago. i worked with a couple of athle athletes, two female athletes who came out in association with sponsorships. they made significant dollars and got to go on a cruise. >> that is exactly where we're sitting at the s&p 500 phil le bee has an exclusive interview with the ceo of boeing. do not leave us. but we can still help you see your big picture. with the fidelity guided portfolio summary, you choose which accounts to track and use fidelity's analytics to spot trends, gain insights, and figure out what you want to do next. all in one place. i'm meredith stoddard and i helped create the fidelity guided portfolio summary. it's one more innovative reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. now get 200 free trades when you open an account. >> before we get to street talk, we're near the highs of the day. the s&p 500 is one point away from its intraday record high. as for the dow, its record closing high was on april 11 earlier this month at 14,865.

. >> martina navratilova, billie jean king. there was britney greiner going to the wnba just announced she was gay a couple of weeks ago. but not to take anything away from them because they are groundbreakers and it is a big deal but it is kind of different when you look at the masculinity and macho world of sports as you were mentioning. it just is. >> bill: particularly the big three like the nba and nfl one of them. our friend brendan ayanbadejo who has been on and he said there are going to be some people soon we're going to hear from people soon and it turns out jason collins got a lot of -- i would like to know what you think about this. whether it is a big deal or should be considered a big deal. 1-866-55-press. the reaction when -- interesting. all the way up to the white house. it came up at the briefing yesterday and jay carney was ready. he said -- right from the president on down, they thought this was great news. >> here at the white house we view that as another example of the progress that has been made and the

martina navratilova is a tennis icon who won 59 grand slam titles. she came out more than 30 years ago at a different time. mike lupica is a columnist from the new york daily times, radio talk show host and author. martina, we have long been asking the question when would a man playing a major u.s. sport say he's gay. we know the answer now. the next question is, what's the impact? >> i think the impact is immediate because we are talking about it. it's an everyday word now. we don't have to hide. for jason, i think it's going to make a big difference in his life. it already has. most of all, he'll sleep better at night. he's leading the way being the first major leaguer to come out. i can't believe it's 32 years after i came out. better late than never. it puts it on the front page. we don't want being gay to be an issue. we don't have equal rights. jason coming out this way is going to push that forward a little bit. also save lives. no kout in my mind some kid is not going to commit suicide because jason is out. >> do you expect other professional

meantime, back here in the bay area at tenders at a deli in martina's is showing support for young boston bombing victim aaron lerner was badly wounded by shrapnel. and dad, alan herman is a football coach at alhambra high school and martine as. yesterday, all workers of the delhi supported alhambra high school football jerseys to show support of 11 year-old aaron turner and his family. tenders is donating 15 percent of its sales to the herne family. aaron turner underwent surgery at boston's children's hospital last week and is expected to make a full recovery. no word on when he is expected to come home. >> a san jose 1 and hasn't charged with kidnapping after she stole a car with a 11 month old girl inside is scheduled to appear in court for a plea hearing this morning. 23 year-old karla belen hernandez was arrested earlier this month with the incident on march 25th. the child, gabriela quintero was taken after her mother briefly left her under unattended out the car car outside a home in east san jose. the baby was found safe inside the abandoned mi. from where was stolen. hernandez f

andy roddick simply said, "props" and martina navratilova said, you are now freedom is a sweet feeling indeed. shouldn't be an issue but it is. that's why so many don't do it until after -- until after. you're a brave man. 1981 was the year for me. 2013 is the year for you. 1981 is when she was the first athlete who came out while still playing her sport. that took real courage, the same kind of courage that jason collins showed today. i keep telling people, you can't stand for some rights, some self-expression, some civil rights and not stand for all. we cannot be the custodians of intolerance and beg for freedom and tolerance and understanding and one nation at the same time. collins deserves all of our embrace because collins brought us closer to how we must all stand for all of us to have, one nation with one right under god, with liberty and justice for all. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. >>> war song. let's play "hardball." >>> good evening. i'm chris matthews back in washington. let me start with this. the hawks sing from the same song sheet.

or as martina navritilova put it, hello! some more sports news, tim tebow was officially released from the new york jets. well, i guess -- i guess all that praying finally paid off. [ laughter ] please, anywhere. i will play anywhere else. you gotta get me -- come on, get me out! i don't care where i go! i'll do arena football, i don't care! i'm excited for tonight's show. we have rebel wilson in the house! oh, we love her. [ cheers and applause ] we've got anthony bourdain! [ cheers and applause ] we have retta, who is going to do stand-up tonight. and gary busey is on the show. [ cheers and applause ] gary busey is on the show, which will be one of the few interviews when i finish with more questions than i started with. [ laughter ] it's going to be very interesting. that's right. i will be talking with busey, or as he calls it, brains, upstanding, sincerity, equals yes. [ laughter ] did you see him on the show last night? do you watch "all-star celebrity apprentice"? last night their task or whatever was supposed to make

martina thank you so much for joining me. >> all right. thanks for having me. well done, jason. >> yeah, absolutely. good for jason. and we'll be right back.

meanwhile was wounded in the blast is scheduled to go surgery today. 11 year-old aaron turnhern of martina's was near the finish line cheering on his mother who was running in the race when he caught he was caught in one of the blast. he is in stable condition in intensive care unit. back in the bay area, his grandmother says she was shocked to learn what happens and grandson. >> he was bright, happy and very athletic played baseball, basketball, football. >> parents family will stay in boston for another week for follow-up surgeries. >> the city martinez is a close-knit community when word went out that one of their own became victims of the boston marathon attack they sprung into action. the owners of the roxx restaurant on main street held a fund-raising dinner that was supported and promoted by the restaurant. people from all around martinez came up to support her family and to enjoy the meal. the owners of themroxx restaurants say they stopped counting meals once it hit about 150 people. all the food was donated for this event and all the money raised is going to help the hern family wi

reminder of how difficult it can be to come out publicly as a professional athlete, the great tennis star martina navratailova tweeted today. his celtics coach doc rivers said this today of collins coming out. if you've learned anything from jackie robinson, it's that teammates are always the first to accept. it'll be society who has to learn tolerance. and it seems that rivers was right. reaction around the nba has been substantially supportive. former all-star baron davis says i'm so proud of collins for being real. and steve nash tweeted, the time has come, maximum respect. even lakers superstar kobe bryant who two years ago was fined $100,000 for using a gay slur against a referee tweeted saying proud of jason collins, don't suffocate who you are because of others. >> if you're openly living that type of lifestyle, then the bible says you know them by their fruits, it says that, you know, that's a sin. if you're openly living in unre unrepenitent sin, whatever it may be, i believe that's walking an open rebellion to god. and to jesus christ. >> luckily for broussard, -- if a very public essay

martina thank you so much for joining me. >> all right. thanks for having me. well done, jason. >> yeah, absolutely. good for jason. and we'll be right back. >> that's all for us tonight. "anderson cooper" starts right >>> good evening, everyone. talking about the historymaking night for pro sports in american society. pro center, jason collins, becoming a true pioneer. the first big-league athlete to say he is gay. >>> female dna found on the bomb parts and the fda takes samples from the dead suspect's widow. we begin, though, with that groundbreaking day in u.s. sports. jason collins became the first active player on an american team sport to come out publicly. the free agent made the announcement in an essay for "sports illustrated," he took this step on his own and made the news more exao

. >> collins had praise for martina navratilova who was on today. >> for jason it's going do make a big difference in his life. but most of all, he will sleep better at night. he's leading the way as being the first major leaguer to come out. i can't believe it's 32 years after i came out. but better late than never. is n designed for men's health concerns as we age. it has 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+. it has 7 antioxidants to support cell health. your chance to rise and shine. with centurylink as your trusted technology partner, you can do just that. with our visionary cloud infrastructure, global broadband network and custom communications solutions, your business is more reliable - secure - agile. and with responsive, dedicated support, we help you shine every day of the week. like other precious things that start off white, it yellows over time. when it comes to your smile, if you're not whitening, you're yellowing. crest whitestrips whiten as well as $500 professional treatments. guaranteed. crest 3d white whitestrips. guaranteed. we asked total stran

martina that the. this is the first male in any major sports league. >> i didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major league sport. since i am, i'm happy to start the conversation. he added that each time i tell another person, i feel stronger and sleep more soundly. it takes a lot of energy to guard such a secret. twin brother is also an nba player. they have faced off against each other. here is a shot of him fouling jason during the game. he says when he came out to his brother last summer, his twin was astounded. but jason says he received nothing but love and support. he also wrote: i have been asked how other players will respond to my announcement. the simple answer is, i have no idea. well, tonight he does. the reaction has been overwhelming and almost entirely positive. just a short time ago the white house said the president called jason collins to express his support and said he was impressed by his courage one of his latest tweets from the first lady michelle obama

martina thank you so much for joining me. >> all right. thanks for having me. well done, jason. >> yeah, absolutely. good for jason. and we'll be right back. a little taller? where does goddess begin? it begins with your skin... revealed by venus for a confident glow the whole world will notice. venus & olay -- gently exfoliates with 5 blades. plus olay moisture bars help lock in moisture for less dryness. only from venus & olay. any venus cartridge fits any venus handle. that's the beauty of venus. any venus cartridge fits any venus handle. i've always had to keep my eye on her... but, i didn't always watch out for myself. with so much noise about health care... i tuned it all out. with unitedhealthcare, i get information that matters... my individual health profile. not random statistics. they even reward me for addressing my health risks. so i'm doing fine... but she's still going to give me a heart attack. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for more than 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. but i wondered what a customer

martina thank you so much for joining me. >> all right. thanks for having me. well done, jason. >> yeah, absolutely. good for jason. and we'll be right back. switch to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption. my doctor recommends citracal maximum. s s s s s like etfs are everywhere these days. tdd: 1-800-345-2550 but there is one source with a wealth of etf knowledge tdd: 1-800-345-2550 all in one place. tdd: 1-800-345-2550 introducing schwab etf onesource.. tdd: 1-800-345-2550 it's one source with the most commission-free etfs. tdd: 1-800-345-2550 one source with etfs from leading providers tdd: 1-800-345-2550 and extensive coverage of major asset classes. tdd: 1-800-345-2550 all brought to you by one firm with tdd: 1-800-345-2550 comprehensive education, tools and personal guidance tdd: 1-800-345-2550 to help you find etfs that may be right for you. tdd: 1-800-345-2550 schwab etf onesource. tdd: 1-800-345-2550 for the most commission-free

reminder of how difficult it can be to come out publicly as a professional athlete, the great tennis star martina navratailova tweeted today "well done, jason collins. you are a brave man and a big man at that. 1981 was the year for me, 2013 is the year for you." jason collins played for the boston celtics this year before traded to the washington wizards. his celtics coach doc rivers said this today of collins coming out, "if you've learned anything from jackie robinson, it's that teammates are always the first to accept. it'll be society who has to learn tolerance." and it seems that rivers was right. reaction around the nba has been substantially supportive. former nba all-star baron davis tweeted "i'm so proud of my bro collins for being real." and steve nash tweeted, "the time has come, maximum respect." even lakers superstar kobe bryant who two years ago was fined $100,000 for using a gay slur against a referee lauded collins for coming out tweeting "i'm proud of jason collins, don't suffocate who you are because of the ignorance of others." and then chris broussard. >> if you're openly liv

. >> you know the tennis player martina navratilova told our anderson cooper that 30% of -- are related to a sexual orientation crisis. i can imagine it's incredibly difficult in sports as well, that atmosphere. as a coach how do you identify with kids, how do you help kids and use what's happening right now to help kids who may be in crisis about their own sexual orientation? >> sure. so you know, one of the most important thing as a coach and with athlete ally is victory through unity. we're going to be the most successful athletic community when we are the most united and any amount of homophobic or sexist language divides us. it creates a cultural of individuals -- >> maybe even thoughtlessly use words that that mean horrible words that are thrown around in sports. >> absolutely. i think you know, i was raised by that athletic culture. certainly i use that language for many years in my life. but you know, when you have athletes like jason coming out, it gives this entire conversation contegs. it shows people that our words expand and resonate and can affect people in unforeseen ways

. >> martina navratilova said this is going to save some kids' lives. >> um -- you know, i look at her as one of my heroes. the dignity and the class that she's livid her life and thaual that she's achieved in her career. she is my role model. hopefully going forward i can be someone else's role model. >> what do you say to the 12-year-old boy out there practicing right now, wants to be a pro ball player and happens to be gay? >> it doesn't matter that you're gay but the key thing is that it's about basketball. it's about working hard. it's about sacrificing for your team. it's all about dedication and that's what you should focus on. >> one of the things you write is that actually loyalty to your teammates is one of the things that held you back. >> yes. >> from making this announcement. >> you don't want to be -- that distraction. because, for me, it's always been about the team. and -- but i think -- well, i know in my personal life i'm ready. and think the country is ready for supporting an openly gay basketball player. >> can you believe it hasn't happened before you? >> that's ki

whose daughter went to school with jason collins tweeted i'm proud to call jason collins a friend and martina navratilova tweeted well done, jason collins. you are a brave man. and a big man at that. 1981 was the year for me, 2013 is the year for you. >> it will be less and less of a big deal, which is exactly what we wanted. >> reporter: the white house was also asked to weigh in. >> we view that as another example of the progress that has been made and the evolution that has been taking place in this country. >> reporter: it is a watershed moment. what happens next for collins' career and how he will be treated by others away from the public eye is not known. but his former coach, boston celtics, doc rivers, compared this moment to jackie robinson, number 42 breaking down another sports barrier. rivers tweeting, quote, if you have learned anything from jackie robinson, it is that teammates are always the first to accept. it will be society who has to learn tolerance. >> not all of jackie robinson's teammates, though, were totally accepting. there was one negative tweet, mike wallace of the

will tran is live and martina's this morning where errant would have been at school >> he is waking up at the intensive care unit in boston. instead of being in school he faces another round of surgery. here is his picture. we learned that he was not next to his dad and sister at the time and that is why they were not hurt. the sister and the father. he was hurt because he was running towards the finish line at waiting to get in place to cheer on his mother as she crossed. she was getting very close. unfortunately she never made it because of the blast and he was rushed to the hospital immediately into surgery. received a superficial cuts to his body and there was also a shrapnel that deeply penetrated his inner thigh that went straight to the ball. tomorrow you have another surgery. according to his mother who went to facebook late last night exhausted said they will be there for the next seven to 10 days. initially, the limousine as and the principal and had no idea that the hearns went to boston to be at the marathon. like the rest of the people, they found out when calls were made