 Woodward praised the influence of Thomas when he made him Lions captain in 2005
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Former England and Lions coach Sir Clive Woodward believes rugby union will react positively to Gareth Thomas's revelation that he is gay.
Woodward said Thomas was one of the "toughest" players he had worked with and that as far as he was concerned Thomas's sexuality was "irrelevant".
"I'm sure rugby will take it in its stride," Woodward told Sportsweek.
"If anyone doesn't take that attitude then they've got the problem, rather than Gareth having a problem."
Thomas was an integral part of the Lions party Woodward led to New Zealand in 2005, taking over as captain after Brian O'Driscoll was injured in the first minute of the first Test.
The Lions lost the Test series 3-0 but Woodward told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek he would put Thomas "right at the top of the tree on what was a very tough Lions tour".
Woodward added: "He was one of the few players who really did front up - that's why I made him captain for the second and third Test matches.
"I'm sure this will all die down after a few days of press and as I say, from a sports point of view, I'm sure rugby will take it in its stride like most other sports have."
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Asked about Thomas's hope that being a gay sportsman will not be an issue in 10 years' time, Woodward said: "I don't think it's an issue today, but well done him for making the comments he's made."
Scott Johnson, an assistant coach with Wales in 2006 when Thomas told him he was gay, said he is "proud" to know the player.
"Gareth is as brave off the field as he is on the field," Johnson, now coach of Welsh region the Ospreys, told BBC Radio 5 live.
"As a coach you don't get to be a hero worshipper of many players but he will always go down as a special player, and a special human being."
Thomas has recalled the day he broke down in tears after Wales' draw with Australia in Cardiff in November 2006, and confided in Johnson in the medical room at the Millennium Stadium.
"It was a tough old day at the office that one," Johnson recalled. "I would have respected his privacy and I saw the good side of Welsh society.
"He confided in some team-mates and they swarmed around him and protected the kid. It was a very proud period.
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In football, in men's team sports, there are a number of (gay) people, and in the Premier League certainly there are
Ex-NBA player John Amaechi
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"I was privileged that he wanted to confide in me and people helped him. That says so much about what this sport is about.
"I think society has changed, Gareth is free now really. It is really no-one else's business but it probably helps younger players to believe that it is OK to come out and be what you are."
However, former NBA star John Amaechi, who came out in 2007 after retiring from professional basketball, warned that homophobia still exists, even if it is only a minority of people who feel that way.
"Those people still exist, and in some cases they exist in very powerful positions," he told Sportsweek.
"Even if 90% of people have grown up, there is a 10% out there, often in quite influential positions, who haven't.
"We have, luckily, got past the point where people are naïve enough to believe that 'real men' only exist in certain areas and that gay people aren't real men.
"I think we have got past the point where people look at sports and imagine that everybody there is heterosexual."
Amaechi added that Thomas may have to get used to being defined by his sexuality by some people, rather than by his achievements as an international sportsman.
"Life did change a little bit (after coming out)," said the former Cleveland, Orlando and Utah player.
"One of the things you have to realise is most difficult for someone who has achieved a level of success in sport, is that when you become good enough to be captain of the Lions, you've worked very hard and made great decisions all your life.
"When people learn you are gay, oftentimes that can squash your definition so that all that good stuff goes and you just become 'some gay rugby player', which is quite difficult for many athletes to deal with."
And Amaechi warned that although many players would have supportive experiences from team-mates if they came out, there are still many people involved in sport whose homophobia makes it difficult for sportsmen and women to be open about their sexuality.
"In football, in men's team sports, there are a number of (gay) people, and in the Premier League certainly there are," he said.
"I think it's important to say that while I agree that there are a lot more liberal, open-minded people out there now, the fact is, gay and lesbian men and women aren't cowards.
"The reason we don't see them, the reason that in the last Olympics there were only nine 'out' people, out of all those athletes, is not because gay and lesbian people are cowards who don't play sport, it's because sport still needs to grow up in certain areas.
"As much as society has moved on, sport is dragging still behind."
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