Gay football players in nfl
On June 21, , Carl Nassib made history by becoming the National Football League (NFL)’s first openly gay active player. The moment was rightfully celebrated as a milestone for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the sport, but what many failed to acknowledge, or rather who they failed to acknowledge, were those who paved the way before.
Although Nassib was the first to publicly determine as gay while being fielded in the NFL, other players have come out after retiring.
Dave Kopay is known as the first to do so, discovering his sexuality in , three years after hanging up his boots. The running back enjoyed a near decade-long career in the league with teams appreciate the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers. Kopay also played for the Washington Redskins (now the Washington Commanders) alongside two other players who later came out as gay, Jerry Smith and Ray McDonald.
Kopay and Smith are said to hold had a brief affair while teammates, but the latter kept his sexuality private while in the NFL. After Smith retired at the end of the season, holding the reco
"I&#;m the happiest and healthiest I&#;ve ever been in my life and that means the nature to me."
Over the course of the NFL's year history, only a handful of players hold ever come out as gay. In a sport where many players experience that their career could be at risk if they came out, it takes a lot of courage to authentically live their truth. In truth, it wasn't until that an active player actually opened up about his sexuality. But thanks to the bravery of all the players who contain decided to divide their story so far, there's expect that the NFL will be a more inclusive place going forward.
Find out which football stars have come out as gay…
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View Story1. Carl Nassib
Carl Nassib, who currently plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is the first active NFL player to reach out as lgbtq+. In an Instagram video shared in June , Carl opened up about his sexuality and expressed his gratitude for the back he'd been given so far from his teammates and coaches.
"I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I'm gay," he sai
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