Out Soccer Hunk Robbie Rogers Inspires New ABC Comedy

Out soccer player, and overall hunk, Robbie Rogers is apparently the inspiration for a new ABC comedy it was reported Wednesday.

According to Entertainment Weekly, officials from the network closed a deal for the upcoming show, called "Men in Shorts," confirming the series was inspired by Rogers, the first openly gay man to play in a major North American professional sports league.

The show's description says it will follow "a young pro soccer player who takes one small step out of the closet and one giant leap into the spotlight."

Jordon Nardio ("Desperate Housewives") and showrunner Claudio Lonow will write "Men in Shorts" with Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Lonow, and Nardino serving as executive producers.

Rogers is also a producer.

The athlete took to Twitter this week and told his 226,000 followers he's "really excited to be part" of the show, which is set to premiere in July, according to Deadline.

Deadline also reports that Lonow admitted she did not know of the athlete before meeting him this summer.

"I was absolutely captivated by his charm and his humor, and I just thought it could make a great show," Lonow said.

She added: "To me, a sports team locker room is a workplace we haven't seen before. Like in real-life, the protagonist comes from a conservative family. The project naturally takes liberties - on the show, the guy's parents are still together, and, while Rogers' father had been completely supportive and accepting, the soccer dad on the series "has more of a journey to go."

Deadline also writes the comedy will detail how the soccer player's teammates and friends interact with him after coming out and "how they start evaluating their own secrets that are keeping them from "being happier and more authentic."

Rogers came out in February 2013 in a blog post, writing: "Secrets can cause so much internal damage. People love to preach about honesty, how honesty is so plain and simple. Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay. I always thought I could hide this secret. Football was my escape, my purpose, my identity. Football hid my secret, gave me more joy than I could have ever imagined."