NEW YORK — Roy Simmons — a former leman for the New York Giants and the Washgton Redsks and one of only a handful of NFL players to have said publicly that they were gay, all after their playg reers end — died Thursday his apartment the Bronx. He was 57. The e was plitns related to pnmonia, his brother Gary said. Mr. Simmons learned he had HIV 1997 and had other health problems, his brother said. Mr. Simmons, a star at Geia Tech, was drafted the eighth round by the Giants 1979 and played four years the NFL, three for the Giants and one for the Redsks. At 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, he was lled Sugar Bear by his teammat sce llege.
Contents:
- ROY SIMMONS, WHO ME OUT AS GAY AFTER RETIRG OM NFL, DI AT 57
- IS RICHARD SIMMONS GAY? HIS SEXUALY TAILED
- 'OUT OF BOUNDS': GAY, CLOSETED AND IN THE NFL
- IS MR SIMMONS OM HEY ARNOLD GAY?
ROY SIMMONS, WHO ME OUT AS GAY AFTER RETIRG OM NFL, DI AT 57
* mr simmons gay *
Simmons is gay, though this was never outright mentned or shown to be obv on the show, most likely to avoid the ntroversy of addrsg homosexualy on a children's program at the time. Simmons's voice actor Dan Butler is gay. Ratburn, officially me out as gay after gettg married to his huband Patrick—but looks like he isn't the only queer teacher om a kids shows who is nonilly queer!
Is also gay! "A lot of the dience assumed he was gay, " Bartlett said.
Gay rights!!! Well, get ready to have even more feelgs about the show bee jt might have been one of Nickeloon's first rtoons to have a gay character. After that episo aired, many me to believe Arnold's math teacher also happened to be gay.
IS RICHARD SIMMONS GAY? HIS SEXUALY TAILED
Craig set the rerd straight: "A lot of the dience assumed he was gay. Simmons om Hey Arnold was gay.
Simmons, a 290-pound offensive leman for the Washgton Redsks known for his speed, found keep his furtive gay life a secret, he had cultivated a reputatn for beg the life of the party. Even at a time when the right of gay upl to marry is beg affirmed, as Massachetts two weeks ago, and when gays are visible most profsns and entertament, men's profsnal sports rema a fortrs of Simmons is one of only three N. Players known to have publicly discsed beg gay -- all after retirement.
The others are Dave Kopay, who announced his homosexualy 1975, and Esera Tuaolo, a former nose guard who retired 1999, after ne seasons, and revealed he is gay last year on the HBO show ''Real Sports.
'OUT OF BOUNDS': GAY, CLOSETED AND IN THE NFL
Simmons would never have dreamed of clarg himself gay durg the four seasons he played for the New York Giants and the Redsks, for fear of stroyg his reer. ''His isolatn was pound by the stigma of homosexualy among blacks, he said. Like many black men who simultaneoly cultivate a macho, hyperheterosexual image while livg what they ll ''the Down Low'' -- a eply hidn bisexual or predomantly gay life -- Mr.
''No one the world uld have told me that guy was gay, '' relled Eddie Lee Ivery, his roommate for a Woolfolk, a former nng back who played wh Mr. Simmons on the Giants 1982 and who also played wh the Hoton Oilers and the Detro Lns, said: ''I played wh four gay guys.
''But if you're gay, 's like the ary: don't ask, don't tell.
IS MR SIMMONS OM HEY ARNOLD GAY?
He plunged to that cy's gay culture, he said. Hter, who is whe and always knew he was gay, had bond wh Mr.
Simmons was the send former NFL player to clare he was homosexual. NEW YORK — Roy Simmons — a former leman for the New York Giants and the Washgton Redsks and one of only a handful of NFL players to have said publicly that they were gay, all after their playg reers end — died last Thursday his apartment the Bronx.