Moments of Pri: Esera Tuaolo Super Bowl as closeted gay player - Outsports

Contents:

• 30 MOMENTS OF PRI: ESERA TUAOLO APPEARS THE SUPER BOWL AS A CLOSETED GAY PLAYER
• MEET THE 16 OUT GAY AND BI FOOTBALL PLAYERS THE NFL’S 103-YEAR HISTORY
• RAIRS’ CARL NASSIB OUT AS GAY HISTORIC NFL MOMENT
• NFL PROUDLY CLAR 'FOOTBALL IS GAY' NEW VIO
• CARL NASSIB IS THE FIRST ACTIVE NFL PLAYER TO COME OUT AS GAY
• CARL NASSIB OUT AS 1ST OPENLY GAY ACTIVE NFL PLAYER
• RAIRS’ CARL NASSIB ANNOUNC HE’S GAY, AN N.F.L. FIRST

30 MOMENTS OF PRI: ESERA TUAOLO APPEARS THE SUPER BOWL AS A CLOSETED GAY PLAYER

31, 1999, when Esera Tuaolo played the Super Bowl for the Atlanta Falns, three years before he would e out openly as gay. When Atlanta Falns fensive tackle Esera Tuaolo entered Super Bowl XXXIII Miami as a substute, he was not yet out as a gay man and he did not have a big role what was a 34-19 loss to the Denver Brons.

Nohels, the mere fact that he was playg on such a big game while closeted terrified him, as he reunts his 2007 book “Alone the Trench: My Life as a Gay Man the NFL. In all that time, not one teammate, ach, or sportswrer knew I was gay.... What if one of those billn people watchg regnized me as the stranger he had picked up a gay bar?

All he had to do was out me to the prs and the story would be all over the headl: “Gay Man Mak Fal Tackle Super Bowl. He might not have a Super Bowl trophy, but he do have a gold medal he won playg on the champnship flag football team sponsored by Outsports at the 2006 Gay Gam (Cyd and I also played on that team). Never his wilst dreams that January night 1999 would Tuaolo have believed he would be so fortable to one day play a sportg event wh gay the tle.

MEET THE 16 OUT GAY AND BI FOOTBALL PLAYERS THE NFL’S 103-YEAR HISTORY

The NFL has played for more than 100 years and there have been 16 gay or bi players to e out publicly. 16 and the first one to e out as gay while on an active roster.

Over the years, Outsports has known of a few other players who are gay but have never e out, even when retired. The NFL Network produced a documentary on Smh beg gay.

Jenks is gay and this was the the first time he wily discsed his sexual orientatn. In June, Carl Nassib of the Rairs me out as gay.

RAIRS’ CARL NASSIB OUT AS GAY HISTORIC NFL MOMENT

Perkz/@rlnassib/@rkrelentls)When Kansas State offensive tackle and NFL hopeful Stt Frantz me out to the natn as gay, 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.

Here's a list of players llege and pro ball who have proved you n be gay or bi and still n the gntlet. Roy "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.

Cornerback 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.

NFL PROUDLY CLAR 'FOOTBALL IS GAY' NEW VIO

He later cled to sign wh the Tennsee Tans and Dallas Cowboys before g out as gay at 24, he told Philalphia Magaze revealed to the magaze that he'd dated a male cheerlear at Purdue who had threatened to out him then.

He would later move to San Francis and jo the Fog, a gay gby team, and pen a g-out blog post 2015.

Wyatt Pertet, a special teams player and receiver for Capal Universy, will be a sophomore this season. The Bachelor star and former football player (who was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted ee agent and was on the practice squad of the Oakland Rairs and the Philalphia Eagl) me out as gay April of 2021, sayg he had fally e to terms wh his sexualy and the "next step all of this was sort of lettg people know. "He wanted everyone to know he was "still the same Colton everybody met on TV" and is "proud to be gay.

CARL NASSIB IS THE FIRST ACTIVE NFL PLAYER TO COME OUT AS GAY

The Rairs leman ma NFL history durg Pri Month 2021 when he me out as gay a heartfelt Instagram post, beg the first active NFL player to e out as member of the LGBTQ+ muny. I jt wanted to take a quick moment to say that I'm gay. The Hampton Universy player ma history October of 2022 when he me out as gay an Instagram Story post, beg the first out gay football player at a Historilly Black College or Universy.

"Speakg to OutSports, he ntued: "Especially at an HBCU, young Black gay men need an outlet. There hasn't been an out gay football athlete at an HBCU. Las Vegas Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib on Monday beme the first active NFL playerto e out as gay.

I jt wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay. Acrdg to Outsports, 15 NFLers have e out after their reers end, while former Universy of Missouri star Michael Sam beme the first openly gay player to be drafted to the NFL 2014.

CARL NASSIB OUT AS 1ST OPENLY GAY ACTIVE NFL PLAYER

Only until recently, thanks to my fay and iends, pecially Connor, Cason, and Francis, did seem possible for me to say publicly and proudly that I’m gay. In a vio shared on Twter on Monday, the Natnal Football League clared, "Football is gay.

"In whe letters on a black background, the word "gay" was then replaced wh words cludg "lbian, " "betiful, " "queer, " "transgenr, " "power" and "life. Nassib is the first active NFL player to e out as gay.

RAIRS’ CARL NASSIB ANNOUNC HE’S GAY, AN N.F.L. FIRST

Carl Nassib Is The First Active NFL Player To Come Out As Gay "I jt want to take a quick moment to say that I'm gay, " he said an Instagram vio. Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib said on Monday that he would not have been able to publicly e out as gay whout the support of the NFL and his teammat. " "I jt want to take a quick moment to say that I'm gay, " Nassib said an Instagram vio he posted on his verified Instagram acunt.

" Nassib is by no means the first gay football player the NFL, but he is the first openly gay active player the league to play the regular season. Michael Sam me out as gay followg his succsful llege reer and before the 2014 NFL draft, makg him the first publicly gay player to be drafted the NFL. NFL player Carl Nassib ma history Monday by announcg that he's gay.

Did seem possible for me to say publicly and proudly that I'm gay, " he wrote.