Le Prokop, NHL prospect, out as gay a first for the league | CNN

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Le Prokop said feels much longer than a year sce he beme the first player unr ntract to an NHL team to e out as gay.

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PROKOP REFLECTS ON YEAR SCE G OUT AS GAY

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The play-by-play broadster for Uti, the New Jersey Devils' Amerin Hockey League affiliate, publicly me out as gay October 2021, fluenced by Prokop's cisn. "I want to be the first openly gay player to play the NHL, " he said.

The NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars strength ach, Kev Maxen, has e out as gay — makg him the first male ach a U. While Maxen is believed to be the first male ach to have e out publicly as gay, there have been a few female ach U.

When to players, there have only been 16 the history of the NFL to e out as gay or bisexual as of September 2022, per Outsports.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE COACH TO COME OUT AS GAY MAJOR U.S. SPORTS

Jacksonville Jaguars ach Kev Maxen, who joed the team last year, me out publicly as gay an terview wh Outsports published on Thursday, beg the first ach a U.S. men’s profsnal league to do so" emprop="scriptn * gay hockey player nhl *

20-year-old Prokop, the first openly gay player wh a ntract unr the NHL, penned a thoughtful msage about players the league who have opposed wearg pri jerseys or g rabow stick tape durg their teams' annual pri events. Prokop me out as gay 2021, one year after beg selected by the Nashville team the 2020 NHL Draft.

"Today I am proud to publicly tell everyone that I am gay. Bayne Pettger has always been immersed the world of hockey.Born Victoria, to a fay wh ep roots the sport, Pettger embarked on a reer wh the Natnal Hockey League (NHL) at 21.Then, after workg for the NHL as an operatns manager, he beme a hockey agent 2019.Dpe his profsnal succs, however, the 36-year-old says he feared he uldn't be accepted as a gay man the sport."There was always this fear that I uldn't live my te life — to be accepted as a gay man — and also be a succsful young executive the game. It was a nundm that kept me the closet for a long time," he wrote a mentary for Hockey Canada.Durg the COVID-19 panmic, Pettger returned to Victoria, where he said he found time for trospectn and had ndid nversatns wh iends and fay about publicly g out as gay.Wh their support, Pettger cid to e out to The Athletic, a sports news portal, November 2020.All of at Hockey Canada are tremendoly proud of <a href="/baynep?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@baynep</a> and of the hockey muny for the wonrful support they have shown him.

The first openly gay NHL agent, Bayne Pettger, dropped by the CBC Victoria stud to share his perspective.The NHL has always had this stereotype of beg an old boys club, not beg able to grow.

OPENLY GAY NHL PROSPECT LE PROKOP CALLS OUT LACK OF 'INCLN' AFTER PLAYERS BOYTT PRI NIGHT

How damagg is this om an enomic standpot for the league?Hockey has a way to go on the cultural si, but I don't want to be that block.We talk about growg the game to have a more diverse fan base, and I jt have a tough time agreeg that the cisn to ban warmup jerseys is a step-forward directn for clivy and sendg the right msage for a non-hockey fan.We n't even for 15 mut have a celebratn of our differenc, which is really what is.Wnipeg LGBTQ advot disappoted followg NHL's cisn to ban themed jerseysYou are the first openly gay NHL agent, and I know you work wh many players, but you're also iends wh many players this league. Jt keepg foced on the posive, bee we n go down that rabb hole of five players of 700 … that's not a majory.NHL player's boytt of team's Pri night tribute 'disrpectful' to gay muny: agentCan you take back three years ago to what that was like for you on a personal level, given the role you play a huge league like the NHL, to e out?I had a massive fear that I uldn't be succsful hockey and be gay, bee I didn't see anyone before me dog that.

They said, let's break down the barriers, and they gave me strength.Unwele spotlight falls on NHL team Pri night eventsMy biggt fear was that I uldn't work hockey and be succsful and be gay, but fact 's been que the oppose. If a certa percentage of the populatn is queer, we need to have those seats at the table of Hockey Canada.NHL's Pri nights lli wh LGBTQ+ polil climateEveryone always asked me when we were gog to see the first gay NHL player. There's an agent and a player that are gay and thrivg hockey, so why n't I?I thought I had to be livg my tth, and fact 's been the bt cisn I've ever ever done.WATCH | Pettger, Prokop discs ntroversy around Pri-themed jerseys last NHL season: 'It's not askg players what's right or wrong': Prokop and Pettger on NHL Pri nightsLe Prokop and Bayne Pettger jo Anastasia Bucsis to discs the ntroversy that surround Pri nights throughout the last NHL season.Are you ncerned the recent steps by the NHL might be those same ncerns you had three to four years ago the mds of those who were thkg maybe they n e out of my locker room, and now perhaps don't feel like they're wele to?We're not gog to look at a Pri jersey ban as "our work's done here." We're gog to keep phg for diversy and cln, bee that's the way society is gog.

NHL PROSPECT LE PROKOP OUT AS GAY, A FIRST FOR THE LEAGUE

Provorov’s polarizg cisn is remiscent of Tampa Bay Rays pchers who were labeled "bigots" for clg to wear gay pri patch durg an LGBTQ celebratn June. He poted out that the NHL has never had a sgle openly gay player history.

JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH MAJOR MEN'S PRO SPORTS TO INTIFY AS GAY

Canadian sports pund Sid Seixeiro lled on the NHL to fe the Flyers "$1 ln, " NHL Network senr reporter EJ Hrak suggted the Rsia-born Flyer player should go back to his homeland and jo the fight agast Ukrae if participatg Pri events is "that problematic for him, " ESPN senr NHL wrer Greg Wyshynski lled out Provorov for prevly participatg the Flyers' ary appreciatn event and a plethora of other high-profile punds have nounced him as, who is gay, feels the pivot om simply tryg to make the game more clive to force-feedg activism on athlet has a negative impact. Casey Flor, a gay Republin activist, believ attempts to embrace the LGBTQ muny are often "exclnary" bee voic of relig mori aren’t nsired.

"I'm really disappoted, as a gay man wh that, bee we all have to get along. "What the left miss is that this is the greatt untry the world and this is the greatt untry the world to be gay . We n marry, we n adopt, and we nnot be fired for beg gay, and I don't know what more they want, " Flor ntued.

Natnal Hockey League prospect Le Prokop me out as gay via a heartfelt statement to fans Monday, sayg he hoped would improve gay visibily wh the hockey muny. “I hope that sharg who I am I n help other people see that gay people are wele the hockey muny, as we work to make sure that hockey is tly for everyone, ” he wrote. Prokop hasn’t played an NHL game yet, but if he do, he’ll jo que a small club: There have only been two openly gay active players the four largt US sports leagu – Carl Nassib of the NFL’s Las Vegas Rairs, who me out last month, and Jason Colls, an NBA veteran who me out 2013 and retired the followg season.

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Prokop reflects on year sce g out as gay | .

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