There have been 11 known gay players NFL history - Outsports

Contents:

• JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
• MEET THE 16 OUT GAY AND BI FOOTBALL PLAYERS THE NFL’S 103-YEAR HISTORY
• NFL ACH BE FIRST MALE ACH MAJOR U.S. MEN’S PRO SPORTS TO E OUT AS GAY
• JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN IS FIRST MALE NFL ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
• JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY
• NFL ASSISTANT ACH OUT AS GAY
• THERE HAVE BEEN 11 KNOWN GAY PLAYERS NFL HISTORY
• NFL COACH COM OUT AS GAY, A FIRST MAJOR US PRO SPORTS
• IN 101 NFL SEASONS THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN OPENLY GAY PLAYER
• THE 61 CURRENT NFL PLAYERS, 13 OWNERS AND 9 HEAD ACH SUPPORT GAY AND BI ATHLET
• WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NFL'S FIRST ACTIVE GAY PLAYER, MICHAEL SAM?
• 7 GAY NFL FOOTBALL PLAYERS
• NFL CLAR THAT 'FOOTBALL IS GAY' MERCIAL SUPPORTG CARL NASSIB
• BUCNEERS' CARL NASSIB, FIRST OPENLY GAY NFL STAR, SAYS 'I'M NOT HIDG'

JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E 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 '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.

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

The NFL has played for more than 100 years and there have been 16 gay or bi players to e out publicly. 16 and the first one to e out as gay while on an active roster. Over the years, Outsports has known of a few other players who are gay but have never e out, even when retired.

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

The NFL Network produced a documentary on Smh beg gay. Jenks is gay and this was the the first time he wily discsed his sexual orientatn.

In June, Carl Nassib of the Rairs me out as gay.

(Associated Prs) Kev Maxen is gay.

JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN IS FIRST MALE NFL ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

No NFL ach had ever publicly e out as gay, so Maxen, an assistant strength and ndng ach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, kept quiet about his sexual that ma him angry — at himself. Men’s profsnal sports league to e out as gay.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY

Former San Francis 49ers offensive assistant Katie Sowers beme the NFL’s first ach to e out as gay 2017.

Acrdg to the article, Maxen ma his cisn to do so last year and reached out for advice om Carl Nassib, who 2021 beme the NFL’s first out gay active player as a member of the Las Vegas was Nassib who put Maxen ntact wh Outsports. Jacksonville Jaguars assistant strength and ndng ach Kev Maxen cid on Thursday to e out publicly as gay hop of livg his life whout fear and to spire others. Before jog Jacksonville’s achg staff, he was a strength ach for the football teams at Baylor and Febary 2022, Maxen reached out to NFL player Carl Nassib, who me out as gay 2021, to seek advice.

NFL ASSISTANT ACH OUT AS GAY

The announcement today by former Patrts and Chiefs offensive leman Ryan O'Callaghan that he is gay brgs to seven the number of NFL known gay players NFL history who have played a regular season game. In addn, four other players who me out as gay were NFL trag mps, some playg preason gam. Kopay played wh two teammat who were gay: tight end Jerry Smh and nng back Ray McDonald.

Gay players have long been the NFL. Legendary Packers and Redsks ach Vce Lombardi — who had an openly gay brother — knew that some of his players were gay. In the Outsports article on O’Callaghan g out, longtime NFL executive Stt Pli says he has unseled gay NFL players before.

THERE HAVE BEEN 11 KNOWN GAY PLAYERS NFL HISTORY

When Maxen and his partner, only intified as “Nick, ” told old high school iends about their unrevealed homosexualy, the rponse they got was cidly muted. ESPN offered no such doubts, and flat-out stated that Maxen was “the first male ach major Amerin men’s profsnal sports to publicly e out as gay. Most recently, the NFL aga weled a member of s aterny “g out” when then-Las Vegas Rair Carl Nassib (he is currently an unsigned ee agent) me out as gay 2021.

Before that, the next-most-proment gay athlete the NFL was former St.

NFL COACH COM OUT AS GAY, A FIRST MAJOR US PRO SPORTS

Louis Rams fensive end Michael Sam, whose NFL reer never grew beyond “beg the first openly gay player drafted.

But one nstant will rema as has for 101 years — there will be no openly gay or bi players on any of the 32 teams.

There are closeted gay players the NFL right now and there have been every season for as long back as I n remember and the league is rife wh straight alli who say they would wele a gay teammate. Fear of the reactn of teammat, fans, ach, executiv and sponsors and the tense media spotlight that would she (for a short while) on the first active gay player.

IN 101 NFL SEASONS THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN OPENLY GAY PLAYER

There have been 13 players who are eher gay or bi and me out after their reers end, most recently Ryan Rsell, a fensive leman wh the Cowboys and Bucneers. 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.

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.

THE 61 CURRENT NFL PLAYERS, 13 OWNERS AND 9 HEAD ACH SUPPORT GAY AND BI ATHLET

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.

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.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NFL'S FIRST ACTIVE GAY PLAYER, MICHAEL SAM?

"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. I jt wanted to take a quick moment to say that I'm gay.

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. There hasn't been an out gay football athlete at an HBCU.

7 GAY NFL FOOTBALL PLAYERS

“The silent majory of sports legends have yet to speak out favor of LGBTQ+ sports, and I’m sure is not due to homophobia but a lack of knowledge and fear, ” said Rsell, who is also the thor of his upg memoir, The Yards Between Us. Rsell is one of 16 current or former NFL players to e out publicly as gay or bi.

Below we’ve listed current NFL players, team owners and head ach who have — wh their actns and/or words — monstrated support for the LGBT muny, gay athlet, fans and anyone else between.

All of this is addn to Roger Gooll — the NFL missner and the most powerful person Amerin sports — who has for 10 years talked publicly many tim about his support for the LGBT muny, cludg his gay brother. There are also a number of NFL owners and head ach who have publicly exprsed support for gay athlet and the LGBT muny. Note that other players, ach and owners shared generic msag about cludg anyone who n help their team, but their msage didn’t que rg to as “support” for the LGBT muny or gay teammat.

NFL CLAR THAT 'FOOTBALL IS GAY' MERCIAL SUPPORTG CARL NASSIB

One such example clus David Kopay, who was a former NFL athlete back the 1970s who me out as gay. His story was credibly spirg to future generatns of gay football players who may have faced siar challeng on their way to stardom. One such athlete is Michael Sam, the NFL's first active gay football player.

Given the lack of gay reprentatn the NFL overall and the still prent stigma surroundg diverse sexualy, this was huge for football. As stated by The Huffgton Post, 2013, Sam me out as gay to his ach and teammat, beg the NFL's first active gay football player. Acrdg to the Advote, the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn ed to list homosexualy as a mental illns.

BUCNEERS' CARL NASSIB, FIRST OPENLY GAY NFL STAR, SAYS 'I'M NOT HIDG'

An unknown Rams player even lled Sam a homophobic slur.