In 102 years, over 25,000 athletes have made it to the National Football League, 16 have come out as gay or bisexual, and only one has come out while actively playing.
Defensive end Carl Nassib is that one. He came out in a video posted to Instagram on June 21, 2021, saying “I just want to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay.”
Nassib was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the second pick in the third round of the 2016 draft. He played for the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2021 season and is currently a free agent.
In 1975, Dave Kopay became the first team-sport player to come out as gay. He played running back for five teams from 1964-1972. Kopay also played college football for the University of Washington.
In 2007, he left the university’s “Q Center,” an organization that provides support for LGBTQ+ students, a $1 million endowment.
Jerry Smith was a teammate of Kopay in Washington, but he was never able to personally tell his story. Many people knew Smith was gay, but he never told the media. He died from AIDS in 1986, and the NFL released a documentary on him in 2014.
Michael Sam was the first openly gay player to get drafted into the NFL. In February 2014, Sam told ESPN and the New York Times “I am an openly proud gay man.”
Sam was picked by the Saint Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 2014 draft at the 249th pick. Although Sam was drafted, he didn’t get the chance to play in the NFL. He briefly played in the Canadian Football League before retiring from the sport in 2015. He is now a defensive line coach for the Barcelona Dragons, a team in the European League of Football.
Ryan Russell played from 2015-2017 and is the only one in the list of 16 that identifies as bisexual.
The stories of all 16 men are important, but former offensive lineman for the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs, Ryan O’Callaghan, may have the most important one of all.
O’Callaghan was drafted in the fifth round of the 2006 draft by the Patriots. He played there from 2006-2007 before being placed on injury reserve for the 2008 season. He was released by the Patriots in 2009 and was immediately signed by the Kansas City Chiefs. He played for the Chiefs from 2009-2010. Being signed by the Chiefs saved O’Callaghan’s life.
At training camp in 2011, his shoulder injury returned and ended his football career. O’Callaghan had felt that he had nowhere to go and started abusing pain killers.
“It helped with the pain of the injuries, and with the pain of being gay,.” O’Callaghan said in an interview with OutSports. “I just didn’t worry about being gay when I took the Vicodin. I just didn’t worry.”
Although his NFL career was over, O’Callaghan was still going through physical therapy at the Chiefs facility. Head trainer David Price had noticed something was off with O’Callaghan and recommended he visit with the Chiefs’ psychologist, Susan Wilson. Wilson was the first-person O’Callaghan told about his sexuality.
From there he told the man that signed him, the general manager of the Chiefs at the time, Scott Pioli. After a great meeting with Pioli, O’Callaghan came out to his friends and family. He also told them about his alternative plan of killing himself, although not all of them understood his sexuality, they were all happy he was alive.
Since coming out, O’Callaghan has written a book and moved back to Redding, California to be closer to his family.
The most important part of LGBTQ+ athletes coming out is showing the younger generation of athletes that it’s okay.
O’Callaghan understands that perfectly, saying “As long as there are people killing themselves because they are gay, there is a reason for people like me to share my story and try to help.”
There are 10 more former NFL players that have come out. Ray McDonald, Roy Simmons, Jeff Rohrer, Esera Tuaolo, Kwame Harris, Wade Davis, Dorien Bryant, Martin Jenkins, Brad Thorson and Colton Underwood. They all have unique experiences when it comes to playing football as a gay man.
With these notable figures being open about their queer identities, fewer athletes seem to feel the need to live their lives trapped in the closet.
James Taurman-Aldrich can be reached at [email protected]