Roy Simmons, the fun-lovg Giants offensive leman who later beme the send former player NFL history to e out as gay, died his New York home last week at 57. Simmons, the only player NFL history to acknowledge that he was HIV posive, was known as "Sugar Bear" bee of his big se and sweet personaly.
Contents:
- ROY SIMMONS, REDSKS PLAYER WHO ME OUT AS GAY, DI AT 57
- ATHLET WHO ARE GAY
- ROY SIMMONS, EX-NY GIANT WHO ME OUT AS GAY AND HIV POSIVE, DI AT 57
- ROY SIMMONS, WHO ME OUT AS GAY AFTER NFL REER, AD AT 57
- IS BEN SIMMONS GAY? A PEEK AT THE PLAYER’S DATG HISTORY
- NFL'S SIMMONS SPEAKS OF FORMER GAY LIFTYLE AND NEW FAH CHRIST
- RENNTRE GRATUE GAY à PARIS, (75)
ROY SIMMONS, REDSKS PLAYER WHO ME OUT AS GAY, DI AT 57
Here's a list of gay players who ma to the end zone. * simmons gay athlete *
Simmons beme the send former NFL player ever to e out as gay durg his 1992 appearance on the “Phil Donahue Show, ” but he’s fed by much more than jt that moment. This was heavily rmed by sexual abe he suffered durg his youth, but also the stigma agast homosexualy — both wh the NFL and black culture — pound his issu.
ATHLET WHO ARE GAY
Mr. Simmons, a former Redsk leman, me out as gay after his playg reer. * simmons gay athlete *
He spoke about his “former liftyle” durg an appearance on the Christian Broadstg Network 2005, sayg that homosexualy is “really agast God’s will. 20, 2014, ls than two months before Michael Sam ma history as the first out gay player selected the NFL draft. Dpe Simmons disavowal of his homosexualy later life, his brother Gary Simmons says he was proud to intify as a gay black man and add that his most closely held virtue was loyalty.
Simmons may be gone, but he paved the path for Michael Sam and any upg black gay football players.
When Kansas State offensive tackle and NFL hopeful Stt Frantz me out to the natn as gay last week, he shared that his teammat, to whom he'd e out earlier, had warmly received the news, a sign the most alpha of locker rooms may fally be ready for equaly. So, wh two gay players takg the field the top tier of llege football this season, has the future fally charged onto the turf? Here's a list of players llege and pro ball who have proved you n be gay or bi and still n the KopayRunng back Dave Kopay, who signed wh the San Francis 49ers 1964, would play for five teams before hangg up his jersey 1972.
ROY SIMMONS, EX-NY GIANT WHO ME OUT AS GAY AND HIV POSIVE, DI AT 57
Thanks to the proment athlet who are gay, the sports world is beg more and more acceptg of homosexual players. Whether the famo Olympians, ... * simmons gay athlete *
Coach Vce Lombardi had apparently nfid Smh that he knew of his sexualy but would never let impact him negatively; Lombardi's brother was also gay. Yet he nspicuoly has never been ducted to the NFL Hall of SimmonsRoy "Sugar Bear" Simmons, an offensive leman for the New York Giants and Washgton Redsks, beme the send NFL player ever to publicly reveal he was gay.
So Coach Vce Lombardi knew McDonald was gay when he took over learship of the team 1969, but ma clear there would be no discrimatn his locker room, those close to the legend say.
He would e out to HBO Sports 2002, where he discsed lghg off gay jok and slurs for years while he played DavisCornerback Wa Davis, who played preason wh the Tennsee Tans, Seattle Seahawks and Washgton Redsks and spent two seasons wh NFL Europe teams Berl Thunr and Barcelona Dragons, me out as gay 2012, nearly a after his retirement. He would later nfirm his sexualy on CNN and s down wh ESPN to discs the challeng of growg up gay Jamai and playg football while closeted.
ROY SIMMONS, WHO ME OUT AS GAY AFTER NFL REER, AD AT 57
* simmons gay athlete *
Michael SamThe world took notice 2014 when All-Amerin fensive end Michael Sam me out as gay to ESPN while still llege. Louis Rams and beme the first openly gay player ever to get drafted by an NFL team. He did end up playg two years wh the Montreal Alouett, makg him the first openly gay player the history of the Canadian Football BryantA Purdue alum who gaed more yards than any other non-Heisman Trophy wner Big Ten history, Dorien Bryant failed to get drafted 2008.
He later cled to sign wh the Tennsee Tans and Dallas Cowboys before g out as gay at 24, he told Philalphia Magaze 2013. He would later move to San Francis and jo the Fog, a gay gby team, and pen a g-out blog post GallagherA Universy of Ptsburgh offensive leman om 1977 through 1979, Ed Gallagher reprsed his sexualy until 1985, when he had his first sexual enunter wh a man, then attempted to kill himself 12 days later.
He died LuhenA kicker for the Nebraska Cornhkers who played om 2003 through 2005, Eric Luhen told Outsports he was open about beg gay and suffered relentls bullyg om a handful of teammat. While he said he never kept his sexualy a secret, a "nspiracy of silence" left the matter unspoken the GendreA kicker for four seasons wh the Middle Tennsee Blue Rairs, Alan Gendre, openly gay om age 16 on, would end his llege reer as the lead srer Sun Belt nference history. He ma the cisn to announce he was gay, the first active Divisn III player to do so, after nnectg wh Conner Mertens through You Can Play, he SarafArizona State leman Chris Saraf 2014 me out as gay to lol LGBT publitn Compete, makg him the first Divisn I player out of the closet.
IS BEN SIMMONS GAY? A PEEK AT THE PLAYER’S DATG HISTORY
The former offensive leman for the Giants and the Washgton Redsks—and one of the few N.F.L. players to have publicly e out as gay after retirg—died his apartment the Bronx. * simmons gay athlete *
The move quickly brought msag of support om the athletic partment and universy officials, and the wrer for Compete told The Arizona Republic that the school fact approached him about breakg the SimsBrian Sims 2000 was named -pta for the Bloomsberg Universy football team Pennsylvania, makg him the first openly gay llege football pta NCAA history, acrdg to Outsports.
NFL'S SIMMONS SPEAKS OF FORMER GAY LIFTYLE AND NEW FAH CHRIST
Sims, post-football, entered polics and 2012 beme the first openly gay polician ever elected to the Pennsylvania Hoe of DarrowAn offensive leman for Prceton, Mason Darrow me out 2015. He's now pursug a ont-office job profsnal JohnsonMy-Kg Johnson, a recent grad of Tempe High School Arizona, is set this fall to be the first openly gay scholarship player reced to play major-llege football, takg the field wh the Universy of Arizona. He said he wanted to enter his fal season of llege ball livg openly and hontly, and emailed the newspaper shortly after Kurdzlek, a iend and opponent on the field, me out PertetWyatt Pertet, a special teams player and receiver for Capal Universy, will be a sophomore this season.
RENNTRE GRATUE GAY à PARIS, (75)
Roy Simmons, a former pro football leman who played the 1984 Super Bowl for the Washgton Redsks and who later beme the send NFL player to announce that he was gay, died Feb. Simmons appeared on Phil Donahue’s syndited talk show 1992 and said he was gay. At the time, only one other NFL player — Dave Kopay, who had played wh the Redsks and other teams — had e out as gay.
“In the NFL, there is nothg worse than beg gay, ” Mr.