Why There Few Openly Gay Athlet In Men's Profsnal Sports : NPR

Contents:

• TWO TOP GAY FOOTBALLERS STAY CLOSET
• HERE ARE EIGHT OUT AND PROUD MALE GAY FOOTBALLERS
• KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY
• IN A FIRST FOR THE NFL, JAGUARS ACH OUT AS GAY
• WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS

TWO TOP GAY FOOTBALLERS STAY CLOSET

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Readg the Game newsletter sent straight to your box for eeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s ee weekly newsletter Bra's foremost PR advisor, Max Clifford, told The Inpennt on Sunday last night that he has reprented two high-profile gay Premier League footballers the past five years and has advised them to stay the closet bee football "remas the dark ag, steeped homophobia" the wake of the Wal and Lns gby ternatnal Gareth Thomas g out yterday, Clifford says he nnot foree a proment footballer dog the same the near future.

"You look across society and see openly gay people mic, movi, televisn, polics, the clergy, and 's not a problem, nor many sports.

"The IoS n also reveal that a Football Associatn anti-homophobia mpaign has been stalled partly bee s anisers have failed to secure big-name Premier League players to speak out agast homophobia a film that would be screened at grounds around the untry. "Unfortunately there seems to be a reluctance by some players and some clubs to speak up for gay rights, " says Peter Clayton, who chairs the FA's "Homophobia Football" workg group.

HERE ARE EIGHT OUT AND PROUD MALE GAY FOOTBALLERS

"There are gay players the top divisn English football, and some of them are out to their clubs and team-mat and nobody giv a jot.

KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

But there is a reluctance by some players and clubs to make public appeals agast homophobia, perhaps through fear they would be thought of as gay themselv. "There has only been one openly gay man English profsnal football, Jt Fashanu, who was tnted, bullied, and killed himself 1998. Clifford add: "I've had two high-profile Premier League football clients the past five years who've been gay or bisexual and my advice has been not to make that public.

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. 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. 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.

IN A FIRST FOR THE NFL, JAGUARS ACH OUT AS GAY

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. 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 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.

WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS

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. 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.

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.