Jason Gillespie: "There’s nothing macho about treating animals terribly" [VIDEO]

We wrote about cricketer and the then coach of Yorkshire County Cricket Club Jason Gillespie just a little less than a year ago, when he was featured in The Yorkshire Post talking about veganism and calling out his club’s dairy sponsor. He had stated that he initially became interested in veganism after his father died from a heart attack, which led him to learn more about health:

“I just started to do a bit of research on health and nutrition, then I watched a couple of documentaries. There was one in particular, Earthlings. It started as a health thing, but after watching that I couldn’t be a part of a society which treats animals the way we do.”

Now, Gillespie, who was “just signed by Kent’s coaching team after overseeing Yorkshire’s back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015,” is featured in a video for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), where he describes–“in a nutshell”–why he is vegan:

“I remember watching a documentary called Earthlings, and that really just got me thinking. I sort of knew that animals were being slaughtered but I’d never really seen it with my own eyes. For me it was a very easy decision to make.”

Gillespie adds that he’s “never felt healthier” in his life, and feels “really strong now at 41 years of age.” He believes that the “issue of leather cricket balls” is a “discussion very much worth having,” and states that with the game evolving, he hopes it will also evolve to be “a more compassionate sport.” The video ends with him stating:

“There’s nothing macho about treating animals terribly, and there’s nothing macho about putting your health at risk. There’s nothing macho about polluting the Earth. We’re all here on this one marble, and we just got to work together.”

You can watch the full video below:

Photo Credit: www.peta.org