He’s one of the most recognizable faces in the NFL, and he happens to play in New York. He has a huge Nike billboard that covers the whole side of a building near Times Square, but Eli Manning came out of the closet today and admitted he is a die-hard Browns fan. After years of keeping quiet about his personal life, Manning felt enough was enough.

“I am proud to say that I am a Cleveland Browns fan,” Eli said in a message posted on his official website. “I am very blessed to be who I am.”Manning said writing his memoir and thinking about his time in New York led him to go public.

“To keep living a lie, and act like I give a shit about the Giants as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids were born with. So today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment,” he wrote.

“These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn’t even know existed,” he continued. “What will happen now? It doesn’t matter. The Giants organization can suck it, and Goodell can fine me. I don’t care. A weight has been lifted from my shoulders.”

Manning went on to say that he attended Browns games as a child and occasionally gets a chance to see them play when his team has a buy week – although he admits there hasn’t been much to cheer about lately. “The word “happiness” takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process. Every word that I write in this letter is born out of love, acceptance, detachment and real contentment. I love the Browns, good or bad.” Manning later admitted that he’s had a Bernie Kosar tattoo on his ass since 1994, something that has been difficult to hide in the locker room.