Who Is The Openly Gay NFL Player?

There are currently no openly gay NFL players, but that could soon change. In recent years, a number of professional athletes have come out as gay, including in other major leagues such as the MLB, NBA, and NHL.

While there has yet to be an openly gay NFL player, there have been a few who have come out after their careers have ended. In 2014, former NFL player Ryan O’Callaghan came out as gay in an interview with Outsports.com.

Introduction

In 2014, Michael Sam became the first openly gay player to be drafted in the NFL. (Sam was later cut by the Rams and Cowboys, and is no longer in the league.)

That said, there are currently no openly gay active NFL players. There have been rumors about some players being closeted, but no one has come out publicly while still playing in the league.

The closest we’ve come to an openly gay NFL player is Ryan O’Callaghan, who came out after he retired in 2017. In an interview with Outsports, O’Callaghan said he had planned to kill himself after his football career was over, but fortunately he was able to get help and is now living a happy and healthy life.

NFL Players Who Have Come Out

So far, there has only been one NFL player who has come out while still playing. This was Michael Sam, who came out in 2014. Unfortunately, he was not drafted that year and never ended up playing in the NFL. There are a few other players who have come out after they retired.

Michael Sam

NFL football player Michael Sam came out as gay in February 2014, making him the first openly gay player in the NFL. Sam was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft, but was released by the team in August 2014. He subsequently became a free agent and was signed by the Dallas Cowboys to their practice squad in September 2014. After a brief stint with the Cowboys, Sam was signed by the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in May 2015, becoming the first openly gay player to be drafted and play in both the NFL and CFL.

Ryan O’Callaghan

Ryan O’Callaghan is a former NFL offensive lineman who played for the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs. He came out as gay in 2017 in an interview with Outsports.com.

O’Callaghan said that he had always known he was gay, but kept it hidden because he thought it would ruin his career in the NFL. He said he had considered suicide several times, but Thankfully never acted on those thoughts.

In his interview with Outsports, O’Callaghan said he hoped his story would help other LGBT athletes who might be struggling with their own sexuality. He urged them to seek help and not keep their feelings bottled up, like he did for so many years.

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 went on to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets. After coming out as gay in 2013, he became the first publicly gay man in any of the four major North American professional sports leagues. As a result, he received numerous accolades from various organizations; including being named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2014 and earning an honorary degree from The Huffington Post High School.

Reasons Why Players May Not Come Out

Unfortunately, in the NFL – and in many other professional sports leagues – there are still many reasons why players may not feel comfortable coming out as gay. For one, there is a fear of discrimination from both teammates and opponents. There is also a fear of not being signed to a team or of being traded if a team discovers a player is gay.

Fear of Rejection

Reasons Why Players May Not Come Out – (Who Is The Openly Gay NFL Player?)
When it comes to the closet, professional athletes have had a long history of staying in it. Even in 2017, only a handful of pro athletes have come out as gay, including Michael Sam, Jason Collins, and Robbie Rogers. But according to a recent report from Outsports, that number could be about to change.

The website spoke with 50 current and retired gay NFL players, and found that many are considering coming out in the near future. While the report doesn’t name any names, it does offer some insight into why so few players have come out publicly.

One reason is fear of rejection from teammates. “In the football world, you’re taught to be hyper-masculine,” one player said. “Anything that isn’t traditionally masculine is seen as weak.”

Another player who came out after retiring said he would have been “terrified” of coming out while still playing. “You just don’t know how your teammates are going to react,” he said. “Will they still respect you? Will they think you’re weak?”

These fears are not unfounded. In 2014, then-NFL player Chris Culliver made headlines when he said he would not welcome a gay teammate in the locker room. “I don’t do the gay guys man,” he said. “I don’t do that.”

Fortunately, attitudes appear to be changing, at least among younger players. In 2017, Seattle Seahawks rookie offensive lineman Jordan Roos came out publicly in an interview with Outsports. He said he was inspired by Sam’s decision to come out, and didn’t experience any negative reaction from his teammates.

“Honestly, I was kind of worried about it before I did it because I wasn’t sure how my teammates would react,” Roos said. “But they were all super supportive.”

Fear of Losing Their Job

The National Football League has a long history of homophobia. Players who have come out have been few and far between, and those that have often faced serious repercussions.

The most recent example is Michael Sam, who was the first openly gay player to be drafted by an NFL team. He was promptly cut by the St. Louis Rams, and no other team has shown interest in signing him.

This treatment of gay players is one of the main reasons why many players are afraid to come out. They worry that they will be cut from teams, or that they will not be signed by any team at all if they are open about their sexuality.

This fear is not without basis; many players have reported being discriminated against because of their sexuality, both in the locker room and in contract negotiations.

Some players have even said that they would retire before coming out, as they do not want to deal with the discrimination that comes with being an openly gay player in the NFL.

Fear of the Unknown

The fear of the unknown is a powerful thing. For many people, it can be paralyzing. It can keep us from pursuing our dreams and reaching our full potential. It can cause us to doubt ourselves and our abilities. It can make us feel like we are not good enough, or that we do not belong.

For some LGBT people, this fear is magnified by the fact that they do not have any role models to look up to—no one who has come out before them and been successful. This can make the idea of coming out seem very daunting, and it can lead people to believe that it is not worth the risk.

Conclusion

There is no openly gay player in the NFL at this time. This is likely because of the stigma that still exists around being gay in professional sports. There are a few players who have come out after they have retired, but no one who is currently playing in the league. This may change in the future, as society becomes more accepting of LGBTQ people, but for now, there are no openly gay players in the NFL.