7 Gay NFL Football Players

Contents:

• ROY SIMMONS, 57, LEMAN WHO LATER CAME OUT AS GAY, DI
• ROY SIMMONS, EX-NY GIANT WHO ME OUT AS GAY AND HIV POSIVE, DI AT 57
• NEW YORK GIANTS HOST GAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE CLIC WH NFL PLAYERS AND ACH
• 7 GAY NFL FOOTBALL PLAYERS
• THERE HAVE BEEN 11 KNOWN GAY PLAYERS NFL HISTORY
• MEET THE 16 OUT GAY AND BI FOOTBALL PLAYERS THE NFL’S 103-YEAR HISTORY
• 8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY
• RAIRS’ CARL NASSIB ANNOUNC HE’S GAY, AN N.F.L. FIRST
• 9 BASEBALL PLAYERS WHO CAME OUT AS GAY
• ROY SIMMONS, REDSKS PLAYER WHO ME OUT AS GAY, DI AT 57

ROY SIMMONS, 57, LEMAN WHO LATER CAME OUT AS GAY, DI

Years later, 1992, appearg on “Donahue, ” Phil Donahue’s televisn talk show, and wh a former girliend and fay members watchg, Simmons ma a stunng, awkward disclosure: He was gay.

”A versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn B, Page 16 of the New York edn wh the headle: Roy Simmons, 57, Leman Who Later Came Out as Gay. 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.

ROY SIMMONS, EX-NY GIANT WHO ME OUT AS GAY AND HIV POSIVE, DI AT 57

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.

NEW YORK GIANTS HOST GAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE CLIC WH NFL PLAYERS AND ACH

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.

7 GAY NFL FOOTBALL PLAYERS

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.

THERE HAVE BEEN 11 KNOWN GAY PLAYERS NFL HISTORY

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. He's now pursug a ont-office job profsnal JohnsonMy-Kg Johnson, a recent grad of Tempe High School Arizona, is set this fall to be the first openly gay scholarship player reced to play major-llege football, takg the field wh the Universy of Arizona.

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

He said he wanted to enter his fal season of llege ball livg openly and hontly, and emailed the newspaper shortly after Kurdzlek, a iend and opponent on the field, me out PertetWyatt Pertet, a special teams player and receiver for Capal Universy, will be a sophomore this season. Roy Simmons, the fun-lovg Giants offensive leman who later beme the send former player NFL history to e out as gay, died his New York home last week at 57.

He juggled affairs wh women and had a dghter wh one girliend, but he was also a regular at the cy's gay bathho and equented male hookers as well. David Kopay, a nng back who played wh five NFL teams om 1964 to 1972, announced that he was gay 1975, Roy Simmons stggl wh his sexualy, tellg Pat Robertson's TV program 2005 that homosexualy go agast God's will.

In 2005, Simmons appeared on TV evangelist Pat Robertson's show and said that homosexualy is agast God's Hter, an thor who helped Simmons get help for his addictn and health issu, said Simmons was glad to see locker rooms bee creasgly tolerant.

8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY

He would have cheered the Nets' Jason Colls, who beme the first openly gay athlete to play a major Amerin sport on Sunday, and Michael Sam, the Missouri fensive end who recently me out and is expected to be drafted by an NFL team later this year.

The New York Giants last week hosted the New York Gay Football League at an event that featured LGBT flag football players, NFL ach and players, and a lot of love and celebratn.

She said she was thrilled to be part of the event, part bee she has var LGBT people her life, and she has even participated a Gay Bowl wh the Natnal Gay Flag Football League.

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

“As the NFL mov toward havg more gay players g out the league, ’s important as more lears the NFL muny ntue to show support of the LGBT muny.

Soon his parents cid to send Harris away om his hometown for further tn to hi is homosexual his retirement om Amerin football, Kwame Harris 2013 publilly revealed of beg a homosexual an terview wh CNN.

9 BASEBALL PLAYERS WHO CAME OUT AS GAY

-- 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 suatns.It'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."I don't want to feel like I have to thk about anymore," Maxen said the piece published Thursday afternoon. Outsi lebacker Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player to e out as gay and to play a game 2021.The Associated Prs ntributed to this report. New England Patrts signed pro-marriage-equaly amic briefThe Patrts, led by owner Robert Kraft, were the only NFL team to sign an amic brief supportg the ultimate cisn by SCOTUS to legalize gay marriage.

ROY SIMMONS, REDSKS PLAYER WHO ME OUT AS GAY, DI AT 57

NFL clud sex between men as part of AIDS awarens for playersThe league realiz that not all s players are only to women and clud gay sex s 2015 AIDS Awarens rmatn. People across the NFL share public support for Michael Sam g outMany people across the NFL, cludg current and former players, shared msag of support Michael Sam when he me out publicly as gay.

Michael Irv appeared on Out magaze ver and talks about his gay brotherHall of Fame Cowboys wi receiver Irv didn’t shy away om his opportuny on the ver of gay magaze ‘Out’ when he and I talked about dog an article about him and his support for his gay brother, Vghn, 2011. Commissner Roger Gooll has been open about havg a gay brotherHavg gay fay members is a powerful tool shapg how people view LGBT people, and Gooll has spoken repeatedly about his gay brother, Michael. NFL clarified that on-field gay slurs will st a team 15 yardsIn 2014 the NFL ma crystal-clear to all refere that any "the e of abive, threateng or sultg language” clud “ments regardg sexual orientatn.

Hoton Oilers players accepted two gay teammatWhile they have not named nam, several members of the 1993 Hoton Oilers, cludg Warren Moon, said there were two gay players on the team, and everyone got along jt fe.