Meet the 16 out gay and bi players NFL history - Outsports

Contents:

• IN A LLEGE FOOTBALL FIRST, HBCU PLAYER OUT AS GAY
• 8 OPENLY GAY AND BI LLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS PLAYED SEASON ON THEIR TERMS
• BYRON PERKS, D1 HAMPTON UNIVERSY FOOTBALL 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.
• THERE ARE 7 OPENLY GAY OR BI LLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS THIS SEASON
• HAMPTON UNIVERSY STUNT-ATHLETE COM OUT AS FIRST GAY FOOTBALL PLAYER AT AN HBCU
• MEET THE 16 OUT GAY AND BI FOOTBALL PLAYERS THE NFL’S 103-YEAR HISTORY
• BYRON PERKS, 1ST OPENLY GAY HBCU FOOTBALL PLAYER, CELEBRAT PRI MONTH WH NEW BOYIEND
• HAMPTON'S BYRON PERKS BE FIRST HBCU FOOTBALL PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY
• MICHAEL SAM, FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER, RETIR FOR MENTAL HEALTH REASONS
• CARL NASSIB, THE FIRST OPENLY GAY N.F.L. PLAYER, HAS BEEN A FOOTBALL EVERYMAN

IN A LLEGE FOOTBALL FIRST, HBCU PLAYER OUT AS GAY

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. Byron Perks, a Divisn I fensive back for the Hampton Universy Pirat, me out as gay an Instagram story shared Wednday. I’m gay, let be known that this is not a ‘cisn’ or a ‘choice.

8 OPENLY GAY AND BI LLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS PLAYED SEASON ON THEIR TERMS

’ 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. Perks told Outsports that he’d like to help other gay Black men who are stgglg wh their sexualy.

“There hasn’t been an out gay football athlete at an HBCU. “I’m sure the young man has heard his fair share of slurs om teammat unaware that he is gay.

BYRON PERKS, D1 HAMPTON UNIVERSY FOOTBALL PLAYER, OUT AS GAY

Cyd Zeigler, the -founr of Outsports, noted that “so many ‘first’ gay athlet — John Amaechi, Jason Colls, Michael Sam — have been Black men. For six of the eight openly gay or bi llege football players, 2019 has marked the end of their llegiate reers, wh five graduatg and one cidg to stop playg football.

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

Of the eight teams that had an openly gay or bi player, four played on teams wh wng rerd and four on teams wh losg rerds.

By beg openly gay while playg our most popular sport, the athlet upend what long had been a stereotype of the impossibily of out players thrivg football. Here is how the eight gay or bi players and their teams fared this season:. Frantz, openly gay, is the team’s startg left tackle and will play his fal llegiate game the Wildts’ bowl game, which will be termed this weekend.

THERE ARE 7 OPENLY GAY OR BI LLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS THIS SEASON

Capal went 0-10, but Pertet end his reer wh a distctn 2018 of the beg the first openly gay player to sre a llege football touchdown. Cy Hicks, College of Idaho (NAIA) offensive leman, sophomore. Hicks, openly gay, redshirted after season-endg surgery for a torn labm.

HAMPTON UNIVERSY STUNT-ATHLETE COM OUT AS FIRST GAY FOOTBALL PLAYER AT AN HBCU

Saffold, openly gay, had 21 tackl and three terceptns for the 4-5 Mammoths. Christian Zevogel, Kalamazoo College (Michigan Divisn III) offensive leman, sophomore. Zevogel, who is gay, cid to end his football reer at season’s end, cg a ncsn he suffered Augt and the sire to pursue his amic terts.

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

Johnson, openly gay, played six gam wh seven tackl for New Mexi Milary his first game actn two years after stg out his hman season at Arizona. The eight were the only players who were publicly out about beg gay or bi and my hope for 2020 is that they are joed by others. Instagram (@ltonunrwood/@byron.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.

So, wh more and more football stars g out and thentilly livg their tths, has the future fally charged onto the turf?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.

BYRON PERKS, 1ST OPENLY GAY HBCU FOOTBALL PLAYER, CELEBRAT PRI MONTH WH NEW BOYIEND

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 2013.He revealed to the magaze that he'd dated a male cheerlear at Purdue who had threatened to out him then.

HAMPTON'S BYRON PERKS BE FIRST HBCU FOOTBALL PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY

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.

MICHAEL SAM, FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER, RETIR FOR MENTAL HEALTH REASONS

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."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.

CARL NASSIB, THE FIRST OPENLY GAY N.F.L. PLAYER, HAS BEEN A FOOTBALL EVERYMAN

"No one should have to live a life crippled by what society thks."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.

Over the last month, he had realized that beg the closet as a gay man was eatg at him. Today he me out publicly as gay a powerful msage of love for everyone his life.