How Many Openly Gay NFL Players Are There?

There’s no official count of how many openly gay NFL players there are, but estimates put the number at around a dozen. Here’s a look at some of the most notable LGBTQ players in the league.

Introduction

With the National Football League (NFL) regular season kicking off this week, there is bound to be speculation about how many openly gay players there are in the league. While we may never know for sure how many players are closeted, there are a handful of NFL players who have come out publicly as gay. Here is a look at those players and how they have fared in the league.

History of Gay NFL Players

The NFL has a long history of gay players, though most have kept their sexual orientation private. In 2014, Michael Sam became the first openly gay player to be drafted by an NFL team. Since then, a handful of other players have come out publicly. Here’s a look at the NFL’s gay players, both past and present.

Dave Kopay

Dave Kopay (born June 28, 1942) is a former American football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for the University of Washington, and was drafted in the 9th round of the 1964 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He played professionally for the 49ers, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Washington Redskins, and Green Bay Packers. After retiring from football in 1972, he became one of the first professional athletes to come out as gay.

Esera Tuaolo

Esera Tuaolo is a former NFL defensive lineman who played for nine seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars. He was drafted in the third round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at Oregon State University.

Tuaolo born August 11, 1968, is Samoan and Igbo descent. He was raised in Waimanalo, Hawaii. His father died when he was three years old, so he was raised by his mother and grandmother. At the age of six, he began playing Pop Warner football. In high school, he played football and basketball. He played football at Oregon State University from 1987 to 1990. As a senior, he was named honorable mention All-Pac-10.

On June 22, 2002, Tuaolo came out as gay on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. He is one of few professional athletes in any sport to come out while still active (others include Glenn Burke in baseball and Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova in tennis). He retired from the NFL shortly thereafter.

Since coming out, Tuaolo has been active as an advocate for LGBT rights, working with organizations such as Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Athlete Ally, and You Can Play Project. In 2010, he released his autobiography Alone in the Trenches: My Life as a Gay Man in the NFL.

Roy Simmons

Roy Simmons is a former NFL player who came out as gay in 1992. He is one of the first openly gay NFL players in history. After coming out, Simmons continued to play for the New York Giants for two more seasons before retiring from the NFL. In 1995, he wrote an autobiography called Out of Bounds: Coming Out from Under the Weight of the Homosexual Stereotype in Sports.

Openly Gay NFL Players Today

There are currently no openly gay NFL players. In 2014, Michael Sam came out as gay before the NFL draft, but he was not drafted until the 7th round. He was subsequently cut by the Rams and Cowboys. He is now a free agent. There has never been an openly gay player in the NFL.

Michael Sam

Michael Alan Sam, Jr. (born January 7, 1990) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football for the University of Missouri and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL) in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Sam publicly came out as gay in February 2014, becoming the first publicly gay player drafted in the NFL.

On May 10, 2014, Sam was picked by the Rams in the seventh round of the NFL Draft, making him the 249th overall pick. He became the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL. After he was drafted, he kissed his partner on camera. ESPN commentators initially praised him for being open about his sexuality, but later drew criticism for what some viewers construed as making a spectacle out of his kiss.

On August 30, 2014, after preseason games, Sam was cut from the Rams’ roster during final team cuts to get down to a 53-man roster. The Rams placed him on their practice squad on August 31; he remained on their practice squad for just over a week before being released on September 8. On December 27, 2014, after spending time on both Dallas Cowboys’ and Montreal Alouettes’ practice squads throughout intervening months following his release from St. Louis, Sam signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys

Ryan O’Callaghan

Ryan O’Callaghan (born December 7, 1984) is a former American football offensive tackle. He played college football at California, and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He also played for the Kansas City Chiefs. He announced he was gay in 2017, making him one of the first openly gay NFL players.

The Future of Gay NFL Players

There are currently no openly gay NFL players. This may seem like a small number, but it is actually a huge increase from even just a few years ago. In the past, gay NFL players have been closeted for fear of discrimination from both teammates and fans. However, times are changing and the NFL is becoming more accepting of gay players.

Jason Collins

Jason Collins (born December 2, 1978) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He played college basketball for Stanford University, where he was an All-American in 2000–01. He briefly played for the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He became the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American professional team sport in 2013.

Collins was born in Santa Monica, California and raised in Northridge, Los Angeles. He has an identical twin brother, Jarron, who also played basketball and is now a commentator for Yahoo Sports. Jason and Jarron both attended Harvard-Westlake School in North Hollywood and played college basketball together for the Stanford Cardinal; they were teammates from 1997 to 2001. As seniors in 2000–01, they were awarded Pac-10 Player of the Year honors after leading their team to a 26–2 season andPac-10 Conference regular season co-championship. That season included Jason’s game-winning basket at Arizona that clinched Stanford’s purported upset of then #1 Arizona (who went on to win the NCAA tournament).

Brittney Griner

As the first openly gay player in the WNBA, Brittney Griner has blazed a trail for LGBT athletes everywhere. She’s also an incredible role model for young girls, showing them that you can be successful and basketball-obsessed no matter who you love.