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Nfl football players that are gay

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After coming out in 2012, Davis has done great activism work for organizations like the "You Can Play" project. However, 32 of them said they had teammates or coaches use a homophobic slur and 25 said an openly gay player would feel comfortable in an NFL locker room.

Nassib was far from the first gay player to wear an NFL uniform, he's merely just the first one to come out while playing.

He learned he had the disease only after he was stabbed by a lover in 1986.

Martin Jenkins (1977)

Jenkins attended training camp with the Seattle Seahawks as a defensive back in 1977. The response he got was overwhelmingly positive.

Colton Underwood (2014-16)

Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Before he was famous for jumping the fence and making Cassie's life a living hell on a wild season of "The Bachelor," he was donning an NFL jersey.

Jenkins is gay and this was the the first time he widely discussed his sexual orientation.

2021 update

In April, Colton Underwood came out publicly. Played in the Super Bowl with the 1998 Falcons.

Kwame Harris (2003-08): Offensive lineman with the 49ers and Raiders.

Ryan O’Callaghan (2006-11): Offensive lineman with the Patriots and Chiefs.

He knows this because many of them have reached out to him. Underwood also revealed that he had been blackmailed into publicly discussing his sexuality. Esera Tuaolo, also known as "Mr. He's said he had constant anxiety during his career over fears of being outed. Here's what it taught me.

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That is a fast variation considering former NFLer Ryan O’Callaghan (who came out not too long prior to Frantz) related that no further than 2011 he had thought about taking his own life rather than permitting his sexuality to be unmasked while he still participated in football.

They would do well to take notes from the great Vince Lombardi, who had a gay brother and once said to teammates of one of his gay players, "if I hear one of you people make reference to his manhood, you'll be out of here before your ass hits the ground."

Progress is on the way, even if it takes time.

In 1968, he was arrested for "having sex with a man in public." Soon after, that's when Lombardi warned players to not give him any crap for being gay. He identifies as bisexual, which makes him part of the LGBTQ+ community He briefly played defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys.

He bounced around on a few NFL practice squads before becoming a TV star. He consequently became the first publicly gay football player from a Historically Black College or University.

“I realize that life is short and I might depart anytime; thus, I choose to not conceal anymore,” Perkins declared in his Insta post. The 2003 first-round pick played in 86 games for the 49ers and Raiders.

He quit football and became a lawyer after earning a degree from the University of San Francisco Law School in 1980.

When Carl Nassib came out as gay during Pride Month in June 2021, he did much more than become the first active NFL player to be publicly out. That was the extent of his NFL career. In 2021, Colton Underwood, who had played for teams like the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders, came out as gay.

The star of “The Bachelor” said he has been struggling with his sexuality his whole life.

In June, Carl Nassib of the Raiders came out as gay.

2022 update

In August, Carl Nassib signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

2023 update

Carl Nassib retired from the NFL after seven seasons.

2024 update

Reflects no new out players in the league this season.

2025 update

Reflects no new out players in the league this season.

(This story first ran in 2019 and is updated when new players come out and before the start of each season.)

The post Meet the 16 out gay and bi football players in the NFL’s 106-year history appeared first on Outsports.

NFL Players Who Have Come Out As Gay

unbranded - Sport

Posted: May 30, 2025 | Last updated: October 16, 2025

Throughout the 105-year history of the NFL, only a few players have had the courage to publicly come out as gay.

Here's all 14 of them, in order of when they played.

Dave Kopay (1964-72)

AP Photo, File

Kopay was a running back who played for a number of teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers, mostly serving as a back-up.

He's considered a gay pioneer after he came out to a newspaper in 1975, which made him the first pro team sport athlete to come out — not just in the NFL.

His 1977 autobiography, "The David Kopay Story," revealed many of his struggles and became a best-seller. He told ESPN his declining play may have been due to the pressures of hiding who he was.

nfl football players that are gay

He told OutSports that he thinks the locker room would have accepted him if he came out during his career, but he wasn't sure how ownership would have viewed it.

Esera Tuaolo (1991-99)

Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images

"Mr. When Nassib came out, Kopay told OutSports he was ecstatic to hear the news.

"That's really big news.