Jake Daniels be first UK male footballer to e out as gay sce 1990 | Football | The Guardian

Contents:

• THE 39 CURRENT NFL PLAYERS HAVE ALL PLAYED WH AN OUT GAY TEAMMATE
• JAKE DANIELS BE FIRST UK MALE FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY SCE 1990
• THREE GAY FOOTBALL PLAYERS FEATURED NFL NETWORK SEGMENT ON CARL NASSIB
• RAIRS’ CARL NASSIB ANNOUNC HE’S GAY, AN N.F.L. FIRST
• HERE ARE EIGHT OUT AND PROUD MALE GAY FOOTBALLERS
• IN A LLEGE FOOTBALL FIRST, HBCU PLAYER OUT AS GAY
• BEFORE CARL NASSIB, MICHAEL SAM WAS THE NFL’S FIRST OPENLY GAY DRAFT PICK. HE NEVER PLAYED A REGULAR SEASON GAME.
• WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS
• CARL NASSIB, FIRST OPENLY GAY NFL PLAYER, TO BE RELEASED BY RAIRS
• ‘I HAVE BEEN FIGHTG MY SEXUALY’: A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY

THE 39 CURRENT NFL PLAYERS HAVE ALL PLAYED WH AN OUT GAY TEAMMATE

Garrett (HB) 1964-1967Jason Garrett (QB) 1993-2000John Garrett (WR) 1989-1989Kev Garrett (DB) 2003-2006Len Garrett (TE) 1971-1975Mike Garrett (RB) 1966-1973Mike Garrett (P) 1981-1981Myl Garrett (DE) 2017-2022Reggie Garrett (WR) 1974-1975Shane Garrett (WR) 1991-1991Thurman Garrett (C) 1947-1948Gary Garrison (WR-SE) 1966-1977Walt Garrison (RB) 1966-1974Gregg Garry (WR) 1983-1989Larry Garron (HB-FB) 1960-1968Leon Garror (DB) 1972-1973Ben Garry (RB) 1979-1980Chris Gartner (K) 1974-1974Franny Garvey (E) 1925-1926Hec Garvey (G-E-T-C) 1922-1931Jonathan Garv (DL) 2020-2022Terence Garv (LB) 2013-2018Cleveland Gary (RB) 1989-1994Keh Gary (DE) 1983-1988Olandis Gary (RB) 1999-2003Rashan Gary (DL) 2019-2022Rsell Gary (DB) 1981-1987Shamiel Gary (SS) 2015-2016Willie Gary (DB) 2001-2001Dan Garza (E) 1949-1951Roberto Garza (G-C) 2001-2014Sammy Garza (QB) 1987-1987Mike Garzoni (G) 1947-1948Sam Gash (FB) 1992-2003Thane Gash (DB) 1988-1992Myl Gask (RB) 2019-2022Kendall Gasks (RB) 2015-2015Percell Gasks (LB) 1996-1997Joe Gasparella (BB-QB) 1948-1951Michael Gasperson (WR) 2007-2007Ron Gassert (DT) 1962-1962Mark Gaste (DE) 1979-1988Bce Gaston (DT) 2015-2015Willie Gaston (DB) 2007-2007 Gat (G) 1920-1920Anton Gat (TE) 2003-2018Cly Gat (WR) 2011-2013DeMarquis Gat (LB) 2022-2022Lnel Gat (RB) 2007-2007Nick Gat (OT) 2019-2022Curtis Gatewood (DE) 2008-2010L Gatewood (C) 1946-1947Thom Gatewood (TE-WR) 1972-1973Ri Gathers (TE) 2018-2018Frank Gatski+ (C-LB) 1946-1957Gregory Gatson (CB) 2012-2012Josh Gattis (DB) 2007-2007Dennis Gbatz (LB) 1963-1969Bob Gd (G) 1947-1951Charlie Ger (FB-E) 1943-1945Frank Gl (T) 1949-1949Rashaan Gln (CB) 2018-2020Hal Glke (B) 1920-1922Billy Glt (HB) 1961-1961Don Glt (QB) 1970-1970Willie Glt (WR) 1983-1993Steve Gnty (WR) 1979-1979Frank Gse (C-G) 1929-1929Quent Gse (LB) 2016-2016Dutch Gstad (G) 1921-1923Prentice Gtt (HB-FB) 1960-1967Mike Gavagan (FB-BB) 1923-1923Buck Gav (B) 1920-1926Chuck Gav (DE) 1960-1963Momcilo Gavric (K) 1969-1969Ben Gay (RB) 2001-2001Billy Gay (DB) 1951-1951Blenda Gay (DE) 1974-1976Chet Gay (G-T-C) 1925-1926Everett Gay (WR) 1988-1988Jordan Gay (P) 2014-2016Matt Gay (DB) 1994-1994Matt Gay (K) 2019-2022Randall Gay (DB) 2004-2010William Gay (DE-DT-TE) 1978-1988William Gay (DB) 2007-2017Willie Gay Jr. (LB) 2020-2022Kent Gaydos (WR) 1975-1975Chuck Gayer (T) 1926-1926Rashid Gayle (DB) 1996-1996Shn Gayle (DB) 1984-1995Trevor Gaylor (WR) 2000-2002Doug Gaynor (QB) 1986-1986Frank Gaziano (G) 1944-1944Joe Gaziano (DE) 2020-2022Akbar Gbaja-Biaa (DE) 2003-2007Kabeer Gbaja-Biaa (DE) 2000-2008Cory Geason (TE) 2000-2002Ron Geater (DE) 1992-1992Clayton Geathers (SS) 2015-2019Clifton Geathers (DE) 2010-2014Jumpy Geathers (DE-DT) 1984-1996Kwame Geathers (DT) 2013-2013Robert Geathers (DE) 2004-2014Bob Geds (LB) 1972-1975Ken Geds (LB) 1971-1978Ben Geon (ILB) 2017-2019Gene Gedman (HB) 1953-1958Chris Gedney (TE) 1993-2000Mark Gehrg (TE) 1987-1987Bce Gehrke (E) 1948-1948Fred Gehrke (HB) 1940-1950Jack Gehrke (WR) 1968-1971Kaylon Geiger (WR) 2022-2022Chris Geile (G) 1987-1987Jt Geisger (G) 2006-2008Chuck Gelatka (E) 1937-1940Stan Gelbgh (QB) 1989-1996Pete Gent (FL-WR) 1964-1968Byron Gentry (G) 1937-1939Curt Gentry (DB) 1966-1968Dale Gentry (E) 1946-1948Dennis Gentry (WR-RB) 1982-1992Lee Gentry (HB) 1941-1941Tanner Gentry (WR) 2017-2022Weldon Gentry (G) 1930-1931Zach Gentry (TE) 2019-2022Allan Gee (CB) 2022-2022Bill Gee+ (LB-G-MG-DT) 1952-1966Carl Gee (G) 1922-1922Ed Gee (T) 1975-1978Eddie Gee (RB) 1996-2004Jeff Gee (DB) 1987-1987Jeff Gee (QB) 1990-2001Jeremiah Gee (ILB) 2014-2017Matt Gee (P-K) 1998-1998Ray Gee (T) 1939-1940Ron Gee (LB) 1993-2000Spencer Gee (RB) 1997-1999Steve Gee (DT) 1974-1976Tim Gee (WR) 1973-1974Tony Gee (DB) 1999-2000Sid Gepford (HB) 1920-1920John Gerak (G-C) 1993-1997K. Dpe Outsports chroniclg lerally dozens of piec of evince to the ntrary, there’s a ntued belief amongst some that NFL players would overwhelmgly reject a gay player if he me out.

Wh that experience, solid veteran learship, a ach Kliff Kgsbury who has ld gay football player Stt Frantz, and a ont office that has monstrated an embrace of LGBTQ people, is easy to make the se that an out gay player wh the Cardals would be weled. Atralian A-League soccer star Josh Cavallo me out as gay an October vio posted to his social media, beg hailed as the first current male top-flight profsnal soccer player to publicly do so. "He ntued: "Growg up I always felt the need to hi myself, you know, bee I was ashamed, and ashamed I'll never be able to do what I love and be gay.

JAKE DANIELS BE FIRST UK MALE FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY SCE 1990

The 28-year-old Natnal Football League player and Rairs fensive leman ma history when he me out as gay on Instagram durg Pri Month, beg the first veteran NFL player to e out as gay while signed to a regular-season ntract. 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, sayg he had fally e to terms wh his sexualy and the "next step all of this was sort of lettg people know.

Corey Walsh, the 27-year-old pro BMX rir and Vans spokperson, said he isn't normally the type of person to "let people " on his personal life, but felt was important to e out as gay a March Instagram post bee "there are a lot of people still stgglg wh the same suatns" and he "jt wanted to let people know that they are not alone. Champn long track speedskater Conor McDermott-Mostowy never hid beg gay om his fay, iends, and fellow athlet, but he also wasn't one to rate his locker wh rabow Pri flags eher. The Blackpool forward Jake Daniels has end s of silence wh men’s football to bee the first player the UK to e out as gay sce Jt Fashanu 1990.

THREE GAY FOOTBALL PLAYERS FEATURED NFL NETWORK SEGMENT ON CARL NASSIB

Photograph: Pl Dennis/TGS Photo/ShutterstockDaniels’s revelatn is a strikg landmark that when men’s football is more engaged wh social issu than any recent time, but still unable to ce progrs LGBTQ reprentatn wh the year Alai Uned’s Josh Cavallo beme the only male top-flight profsnal footballer the world to e out as gay, but others are yet to follow. In six months the men’s World Cup will be played Qatar, where homosexualy is illegal, and Cavallo revealed to the Guardian he would be “sred” to play at the tournament, the pnacle of world English football specifilly, the shadow of the talented and unfulfilled Fashanu still lgers over the game. The England ternatnal me out at the end of his reer and was to take his own life eight years later, Fashanu, Jt’s niece, who ns a charable foundatn his name, said that Daniels’s cisn would “e as a huge fort to the many footballers at all levels of the game still secretly livg as gay and who still feel unable to e out”.

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

Acrdg to rearch fdgs, football supporters would like to see homophobia elimated, believe the FA is not dog enough to addrs the issue, and would feel at ease if a member of their team me out as gay. Uned and Mnota Uned FC Major League Soccer, and for Richmond Kickers and Hartford Athletic the Uned Football me out as gay June 2018, makg him the only out man any of the big five Amerin sports leagu or any top-divisn profsnal men's natnal soccer, 26, shared the news on Twter, notg he had been openly gay to his iends and fay for years, but never on such a large platform. 'Mart's announcement ma him one of only two openly gay players Major League Soccer - the other beg Robbie Rogers, who retired shortly after his announcement but me back to play Tto was the first player to e out as a gay man, makg the announcement shortly after his retirement said his cisn to e out on an ternatnal stage was ma 'much easier' by the 'kdns and acceptance' om his fellow players.

He released a book named “Comg Out to Play” announced his retirement and sexualy wh a 408-word post on his personal blog, which Rogers wrote, "I'm a soccer player, I'm Christian, and I'm gay. Daily Mail has scribed Anton as the "first high-profile Swedish footballer to announce that he is gay" and as the send active profsnal football player to e out, after English footballer Jt Fashanu 1990. At the Stockholm Pri, he livered a speech nouncg sports homophobia and laid to rt his 2001 airport stated that, "I know that many LGBT people have been the victims of asslts and hate crim.

Cint had been blown out of proportn the orr to fally flh the Frankfurt Airport punch down the toilet: is not the se that I beat up a gay person. "While Germany as a untry has noticeably bee more and more relaxed about homosexualy recent years, he had also noted there was an unhelpful media obssn wh fdg the first gay footballer.

HERE ARE EIGHT OUT AND PROUD MALE GAY FOOTBALLERS

All sorts of well-tend but ultimately unhelpful terventns om heterosexual players – who eher oped that gay players would benef om g out or utned agast – did not exactly fill him wh nfince that this was ed the right former ternatnal, who played the 2006 World Cup and the 2008 European Champnship, matas that he did not have to lie about his sexualy and that teammat eventually stopped askg about his lack of a girliend. After partg Grimsby Town, Liam went onto play for Selby Town, Brigg Town, Gasborough Try, and most recently Cleethorp Town, who he reprented the 2017 FA Vase Fal at January 2014 Davis bee the UKs hight profile openly gay December 2017, Davis publicly cricized ments ma by FA chairman Greg Clarke that "profsnal players who out themselv as homosexual would be takg a risk.

"Davis urged other homosexual soccer players to e out publicly and not fear a 32-year-old has spoken out enuragg male gay footballers not to worry about g out, sharg his own experienc as part of Uefa’s Equal Game mpaign, to foster greater cln and diversy the midfielr admted receivg abe om opponents, but sists football’s attus to homosexualy are creasgly UrbanMarc Urban, born 4 Augt 1971, is a former German football player. He has spoken publicly about the difficulti that gay footballers’ experience and he is now a spokperson and mpaigner on diversy issu sport and the was sent to a sports boardg school at age 13 and played for the natnal youth teams the 1990s before settlg at send divisn club Rot-Weiss Erfurt. He is now on the board of You Can Play, an anizatn dited to the fight agast homophobia PterPter liv Balham wh his hband Alan and works as an assistant manager at Boots.

He was appoted as a Member of the Orr of the Brish Empire bee of his work batg realized at the age of 10 that he was gay, and alt wh homophobic abe om his schoolmat.

IN A LLEGE FOOTBALL FIRST, HBCU PLAYER OUT AS GAY

While playg for his lol club, Pter suffered homophobia om other players and was dropped om the first team to the fourth team after one of his teammat found out that he was gay. It was later announced that he had e out as gay, and that he qu football as a rult of what he scribed as wispread homophobia the football muny.

Berlg's se was ced several tim the upg years, as the nnectn between homophobia and sport was discsed the natnal media now and FashanuJt Soni Fashanu (19 Febary 1961 – 2 May 1998) was an English footballer who played for var clubs between 1978 and 1997.

Acrdg to his suici note, fearg he would not get a fair trial bee of his homosexualy, he fled to England where he killed himself London May 1998. “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.

BEFORE CARL NASSIB, MICHAEL SAM WAS THE NFL’S FIRST OPENLY GAY DRAFT PICK. HE NEVER PLAYED A REGULAR SEASON GAME.

“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. 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.

FirstThe Rairs fensive leman me out a statement posted to his Instagram acunt on Monday, beg the first active player the league to publicly intify as gay. I actually hope that like one day vios like this and the whole g-out procs are jt not necsary, but until then I’m gog to do my bt and my part to cultivate a culture that’s acceptg, that’s passnate, ” before addg that he would donate $100, 000 to The Trevor Project, a nonprof group that foc on suici preventn efforts among lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer and qutng youth. ”Michael Sam, an all-Amerin fensive leman at Missouri, had been viewed as the most likely to acquire that distctn when he announced he is gay before he beg chosen by the Rams the seventh round of the 2014 N.

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

The Dallas Cowboys signed Sam to their practice squad, but he never played a regular season Otero/Associated PrsSam’s draft stat was seen as a barometer of whether the climate of men’s pro sports was beg more acceptg of gay athlet, particularly bee Febary 2014 the N. Had jt bee the first of the four tradnal major Amerin men’s sports leagu to have an openly gay active player when Jason Colls joed the Sam left the N. He played for ne seasons wh the San Francis 49ers and four other teams the 1960s and 1970s, and has sce bee an activist and an ambassador for the Gay Gam, a quadrennial sportg Simmons was the send former player to announce that he was gay, dog so 1992 after his reer wh the Giants and Washgton Football Team had end.

”In recent years, the league has publicly supported Pri Month through promotnal efforts like changg official social media avatars to clu rabows and supportg the You Can Play Project, which provis rourc to enurage clivy youth sports, even as some players have ma rogatory statements about gay people wh ltle penalty or supported groups that oppose gay Wewerka for The New York TimIn 2013, Chris Culliver of the San Francis 49ers and Chris Clemons of the Seattle Seahawks ma offensive ments when asked about the prospect of havg a gay teammate. In May 2022, Jake Daniels me out at the age of 17  an open letter on the Blackpool Football Club’s webse, beg at that time the UK’s only openly gay active male profsnal footballer. He also acknowledged that “beg gay, or bi or queer men’s football is still a taboo” and that he is likely to face some gree of homophobia the sport.

CARL NASSIB, FIRST OPENLY GAY NFL PLAYER, TO BE RELEASED BY RAIRS

A Hampton Universy football player me out publicly as gay, a first for a football player at a historilly Black llege or universy, acrdg to, an LGBTQ sports news se. ’ Y, this is who I am, this is who I’ve been, and this is who I’m gog to be, ” Perks wrote the story, acrdg to (Instagram stori are only available for 24 hours, so Perks’ origal story is no longer viewable) several Divisn I football players have e out as gay durg their llege reers — cludg the College of Idaho’s Cy Hicks, Amherst College’s Avery Saffold and Kansas State’s Stt Frantz — Perks is the first to do so at one of the untry’s 101 HBCUs, acrdg to both Outsports and Perks. Cyd Zeigler, the -founr of Outsports, noted that “so many ‘first’ gay athlet — John Amaechi, Jason Colls, Michael Sam — have been Black men.

Seven years before Las Vegas Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player to e out as gay on Monday, an all-Amerin om the Universy of Missouri risked a promisg reer wh a public claratn. “I am an openly proud gay man, ” Michael Sam, a 24-year-old fensive end, told ESPN and the New York Tim Febary announcement followed a surprisg 12-2 season for Missouri, which won the SEC East and then the Cotton Bowl as Sam was named the SEC fensive player of the year.

On Tuday, Sam thanked Nassib for jog the ranks of LGBTQ football players, payg special tribute to the donatn Nassib ma to the Trevor Project, a nonprof foced on suici Vegas Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib announced June 21 on Instagram that he is gay, makg him the first active NFL player to e out. The NFL particular had faced cricism for allegedly askg prospects about their sexual orientatn and had been acced of hamperg players who spoke out favor of gay many profsnal athlet around the world, cludg several retired NFL players, had e out by 2014, no one who was still playg football had dared to make that move before story rurfaced on Monday when the 28-year-old Nassib, who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns 2016 and now plays for the Rairs, announced that he is gay a vio on Instagram.

‘I HAVE BEEN FIGHTG MY SEXUALY’: A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY

“Here’s the tth: Everyone ow Michael Sam such a b of gratu, ” Wa Davis, a former NFL rnerback who me out as gay 2012, told The Washgton Post on Monday. He wasn’t the only gay man who stggled to fd a place the NFL after g retired NFL players have publicly intified as gay, begng wh Dave Kopay, who me out 1975, three years after leavg the sport. Otherwise, we create a pattern of celebratg an athlete’s bravery while also cuttg their reer off at the exampl offer utnary Michael Sam told the world he was gay, he was drafted the seventh round 2014, the lowt pick of any SEC fensive player of the year.