Kevin McClatchy, who was the owner and CEO of the Pirates from 1996 to 2007, has acknowledged that he is gay.

He told the New York Times that frequent homophobic slurs he heard in baseball circles had convinced him to keep his sexual orientation a secret.

"I've got a birthday coming up where I'm turning old," McClatchy, who will turn 50 in January, told The Times. "I've spent 30 years -- or whatever the number is specifically -- not talking about my personal life, lying about my personal life."

He is not the first major-league executive or former executive to come out as gay. Rick Welts, the former president and chief executive officer of the Phoenix Suns who is now with the Golden State Warriors, revealed his sexuality last year.

"This has been challenging to me," McClatchy said. "I probably didn't sleep as well as I could have last night."