Jeff Rohrer, Retired Dallas Cowboys Lebacker, Com Out as Gay

Contents:

• THIS GAY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER IS BEG HONORED FOR BOOSTG LGBTQ PRI HIS HOMETOWN
• THREE GAY FOOTBALL PLAYERS FEATURED NFL NETWORK SEGMENT ON CARL NASSIB
• IT WAS A SIMPLE TEAM PHOTO, BUT MEANT THE WORLD TO GAY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER
• GAY TEEN ASKS STRAIGHT FOOTBALL TEAM PTA TO HOMEG
• GAY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER AND SWIMMER BOYIEND DANCE NIGHT AWAY AT PROM
• SUPPORTERS OF GAY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER DROWN OUT WTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH MONSTRATN AGAST HIM
• HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER TELLS ALL AFTER BEG OUTED AS GAY
• THIS GAY FORMER HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER HAS A POWERFUL MSAGE FOR LGBT YOUTH
• FIRST OPENLY GAY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER SIGNED BY MAJOR COLLEGE TEAM, MOTHER MA SURE THEY ‘WEREN’T ON WELFARE’
• JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
• NFL ACH BE FIRST MALE ACH MAJOR U.S. MEN’S PRO SPORTS TO E OUT AS GAY
• JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH MAJOR MEN'S PRO SPORTS TO INTIFY AS GAY
• JEFF ROHRER — RETIRED DALLAS COWBOYS LEBACKER — COM OUT AS GAY, REVEALS HE'S GETTG MARRIED
• GAY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACH GIV EMOTNAL TED TALK ABOUT WHY HE HAD TO COME OUT – WATCH

THIS GAY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER IS BEG HONORED FOR BOOSTG LGBTQ PRI HIS HOMETOWN

In addn to creasg visibily, Jake, 17, wants to normalize g out and beg gay his hometown. His favore football memory happened durg his sophomore season, when he revered the ball on fense, and everybody on his team went wild. The subject was the impact of Carl Nassib g out as gay the NFL for the Las Vegas Rairs.

Matea offensive leman Jake Strer, who is gay, is one of five current or former LGBTQ athlet profiled.

“When I returned to football my sophomore year after g out was bee I knew that if I qu football was jt the begng of thgs I would qu or hold myself back om bee I was gay, ” Strer told Outsports. “To fast forward to my last football game my senr year and have end wh ‘NFL 360’ there to clu me a story celebratg the first openly gay football player NFL history is still really unbelievable to me. EST, we see scen of Strer’s last game as a Matea Mtang, terspersed wh him speakg about beg gay football and what Nassib’s g out meant to him.

THREE GAY FOOTBALL PLAYERS FEATURED NFL NETWORK SEGMENT ON CARL NASSIB

Their experienc are universal, ways good and bad, for many LGBTQ people — Pick talkg about the pa om the ial rejectn by her mom; O’Callaghan discsg suicidal thoughts before beg rcued by a therapist; Rapoport’s touchg rellectn of g out to NFL Commissner Roger Gooll by approachg him at a Super Bowl event holdg her girliend’s hand and Gooll’s se upon seeg ; Saffold discsg growg up Black and gay on the South Si of Chigo “where there are rampant levels of homophobia” and Strer on how he ed to worry “about how bad my life might be after I me out.

IT WAS A SIMPLE TEAM PHOTO, BUT MEANT THE WORLD TO GAY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER

“I thk 11- or 12-year-old kids playg football prr to Carl Nassib g out didn’t thk there uld be a gay football player, ” Rapoport said. It was a simple team photo, but meant the world to gay high school football player. 15-year-old sophomore Jake Strer serly thought of qutg his Illois football team after beg outed, but he cid to embrace who he was and ma all the difference.

Though I am on the team, ’s still a b awkward when you are a 15-year-old gay guy. There is absolutely a “gay by associatn” phobia high school and ’s a big unspoken thg. I had never had an actual verbal nversatn wh any of my teammat about me beg gay.

Their embrace of me was somethg I never expected after a year of anxiety and stggle of g to terms wh beg gay. It was someone I had tsted wh the rmatn that I was gay and knew I was not out. Two weeks after I me out to my parents, right after my football season had end, I went on Snapchat and posted the gay flag emoji on my story.

GAY TEEN ASKS STRAIGHT FOOTBALL TEAM PTA TO HOMEG

I was bldsid when some kid who I really didn’t know my last perd class kept g LGBTQ slurs while knowg I was gay.

I didn’t know how to handle beg outed, how to handle g out to my fay or people at my school, and I fely didn’t know how to handle gay bashg.

GAY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER AND SWIMMER BOYIEND DANCE NIGHT AWAY AT PROM

I was fearg the “gay by associatn” that is a livg breathg thg for teens, pecially guys. Jake Strer, 15, is a sophomore at Metea Valley High School Aurora, Illois, and an offensive and fensive leman on his high school football team. A gay 17-year-old asked his high school's straight football pta to the homeg dance, and vio of the epic "proposal" has gone viral.

"It's very important for me to be gog to Homeg wh Alexanr bee I'm settg an example for not only my school, but also my muny, " Peda told Instct, which is a gay men's liftyle magaze. 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.

SUPPORTERS OF GAY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER DROWN OUT WTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH MONSTRATN AGAST HIM

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. 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.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER TELLS ALL AFTER BEG OUTED AS GAY

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. 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.

THIS GAY FORMER HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER HAS A POWERFUL MSAGE FOR LGBT YOUTH

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.

Ba, 19, and Sigmund, 18, are the only openly gay uple at John Burroughs School, but their beg at the dance was old news to the stunts there. “We have been the only openly gay uple at Burroughs sce I’ve been here, but isn’t a problem at all at our school.

But the stunts, faculty and admistratn at Burroughs have been ultra-supportive of Ba, who drew a prott om the Wtboro Baptist Church homophob after his g out as a high school football star beme natnal news. Hundreds of stunts, parents, fay members and activists turned out this week to support an openly gay high school football player after anti-gay Wtboro Baptist Church targeted him for monstratns. “Comg out [as gay] to my entire school was credibly liberatg, ” Jake Ba, a senr at John Burroughs School St.

FIRST OPENLY GAY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER SIGNED BY MAJOR COLLEGE TEAM, MOTHER MA SURE THEY ‘WEREN’T ON WELFARE’

He announced he is gay last year at a school assembly on Natnal Comg Out Day. ”The ntroversial Topeka, Kansas-based church has also protted at ary funerals the past, argug that God is punishg the Uned Stat for toleratg homosexualy.

2 m readFor North Unn High School football star Wyatt Pertet, beg outed as gay was once one of the most, terrifyg thgs that he uld prehend. Dpe urgg nfintialy, one of his worst fears soon beme realy as news of one of the school’s football ptas beg gay spread throughout the small school.

JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

Wyatt’s fear that people would fd out about his sexualy was further creased wh homophobia beg monplace the locker rooms. “I was always terrified wh the locker room talk that went on about gays and how gross they are and how wrong beg gay is. Wyatt’s succs has ntued on the field wh the openly gay athlete settg himself a goal of beg the first openly gay athlet to get an All-State Honor for football the state of Oh.

“My goal for next season is to be one of the first openly gay football players the NCAA to sre a touchdown and receive an All-Conference honor. Gay former high school football player Harrison Wilkerson wants LGBT youth stgglg wh prsn and anxiety to know they are not alone. Through that season I slipped to the darkt time of my life: Deep down I knew I was gay, and there was nothg I uld do about .

The day me when I was able to fally look myself the mirror and say “I am gay. ” I soon nfid one iend that I was fact gay, like so many had spected.

NFL ACH BE FIRST MALE ACH MAJOR U.S. MEN’S PRO SPORTS TO E OUT AS GAY

On the field, I would hear my opponents shout thgs like, “Stay down you fag, ” or “Football is no sport for gay kids. Members om a rival school posted gay slurs about me onle and ma posters filled wh slurs to try to tear me down. I wanted to e my platform as a Divisn 1 athlete to show people that anyone n be gay, and that the people the LGBTQ muny are no different than straight people and should not be treated differently.

I never had someone that I uld look up to and relate to, pecially sce there haven’t been more than a few openly gay athlet. By signg high school football star My-Kg Johnson, the Arizona Wildts beme the first major llege to accept an openly gay player, reports say. Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound fensive end om Tempe High School Arizona, told the media he ma sure to let Wildts fensive le ach Vcent Amey know that he was openly gay.

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

Acrdg to USA Today High School Sports, one other player beme the first openly gay llege football player. Former Missouri fensive end Michael Sam announced he was gay Febary 2014, but only did so after he was playg. -- Jaguars assistant strength and ndng ach Kev Maxen has bee the first male ach major Amerin men's profsnal sports to publicly e out as gay, tellg he ma the cisn bee he didn't want to hi who he is any longer and to possibly spire others siar 's a cisn and move that drew praise and support om owner Shad Khan, who was a vol and emphatic supporter of a cy ordance that expand protectns on the grounds of sexual orientatn, genr inty and genr exprsn.

Outsi lebacker Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player to e out as gay and to play a game Associated Prs ntributed to this report. A 17-year-old gay stunt went viral on social media after askg his straight iend, who is the pta of their high school football team California, to homeg.

JEFF ROHRER — RETIRED DALLAS COWBOYS LEBACKER — COM OUT AS GAY, REVEALS HE'S GETTG MARRIED

Duarte asked his pal to the dance wh a banner, which read, “I know I am gay, but n I take you straight to homeg? Peda told Instct Magaze that as a straight football player, he wanted to set a good example for their fellow classmat — that straight and gay men n be iends. Today, we turn back to April 2000 and a high school football pta who me out as gay to his team New England.

Outsports quickly picked up on the story as did others; Weeks later, on April 30, 2000, the New York Tim published a ont-page story by Robert Lipsyte entled, “In Rest: Support for a Gay Athlete. While the fact that a football player is gay was surprisg to many, was the support Johnson received om his team that shocked most. Durg the week leadg up to the game, s pta was g anti-gay rhetoric and ephets.

When Johnson walked on the field, the Wfield player across om him said, “Faggot, we’re gog to kill you, you fuckg homo. Johnson told Lipsyte at the time: ‘’Someday I want to get beyond beg that gay football pta, but for now I need to get out there and show the machismo athlet who n high schools that you don’t have to do drama or be a dm major to be gay.

GAY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACH GIV EMOTNAL TED TALK ABOUT WHY HE HAD TO COME OUT – WATCH

He was one of the foundg members of the New York Gay Football League 2005 (and was the league missner after me), he won the Gay Gam gold medal football 2006, and he was the -pta of two New York Warrrs teams that won the Gay Superbowl 2006 and 2007.

For gay activists tryg to shatter stereotyp, Corey Johnson was a rare fd, a bright, vivac quick study who also wrtled and played lacrosse and baseball as he won three varsy letters on a wng football team. Retired NFL lebacker Jeff Rohrer is gay and set to bee the first former or current NFL player a same-sex marriage, he revealed a new terview published on Wednday. Said Rohrer, “If I had told the Dallas Cowboys the 1980s that I was gay, I would have been cut immediately.

He told the Tim, “People are born gay, as I was, though beg gay was jt somethg that had no place durg the urse of my football life. Our list of ne feature-length LGBTQ sports documentari that provi behd-the-scen glimps of heroism and homophobia athletics was such a h, we’re followg up wh a look at feature-length narrative LGBTQ sports films. Dennis is a 28-year-old gay man who plays on a Wt Hollywood softball team wh his close, tty pals.