Jeff Rohrer — Retired Dallas Cowboys Lebacker — Com Out as Gay, Reveals He's Gettg Married

Contents:

• BEFORE CARL NASSIB, MICHAEL SAM WAS THE NFL’S FIRST OPENLY GAY DRAFT PICK. HE NEVER PLAYED A REGULAR SEASON GAME.
• GAY FORMER DALLAS PLAYER JEFF ROHRER AND HIS HBAND WELED AT COWBOYS RNN
• THE DALLAS COWBOYS’ LONG GAY & BI HISTORY: 3 OUT ATHLET, SOME GLORY HOLE, A GAY DATG SE & MORE
• JEFF ROHRER — RETIRED DALLAS COWBOYS LEBACKER — COM OUT AS GAY, REVEALS HE'S GETTG MARRIED
• MICHAEL SAM, FIRST OPENLY GAY NFL PLAYER, CUT OM DALLAS COWBOYS

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

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.

GAY FORMER DALLAS PLAYER JEFF ROHRER AND HIS HBAND WELED AT COWBOYS RNN

“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. Jeff Rohrer didn’t thk he uld e out as gay to his Dallas Cowboys teammat the 1980s.

THE DALLAS COWBOYS’ LONG GAY & BI HISTORY: 3 OUT ATHLET, SOME GLORY HOLE, A GAY DATG SE & MORE

Now the former Cowboys lebacker, who me out as gay and married his hband a few years ago, knows his former teammat accept him and his hband for who they are.

Gay former Yale football player Jeff Rohrer attends the Yale-Harvard game wh his hband, Joshua Ross. Other former Cowboys have publicly exprsed their support for gay rights, cludg Hall of Famer Michael Irv. It’s powerful to see the NFL club emed “Ameri’s team” so posively support a gay former player.

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

While perceptns of homophobia the NFL persist, the current and former players are monstratg the league is welg. To be sure, the Bucs have their own history wh the LGBTQ muny, namely a really gay former logo, a tight end Rob Gronkowski who’s profsed his love for the gays, and the last team RK Rsell played for a regular-season game before g out.

Yet the Cowboys have a ep, rich history wh gay athlet and the LGBTQ muny that we want to highlight head to the NFL season kickoff.

The Cowboys have had at least 3 gay or bi players. Durg his time wh the team, owner Jerry Jon said him beg gay is “a ad issue.

MICHAEL SAM, FIRST OPENLY GAY NFL PLAYER, CUT OM DALLAS COWBOYS

Troy Aikman mors, and his own thoughts on choosg to be gay. It’s no secret that gay mors have swirled for years around quarterback-turned-TV-mentator Troy Aikman. Aikman threw fuel on the fire 2015 when he sentially said that he’s chosen to not date men, claimg that beg gay is “a liftyle people choose.