When Kansas State offensive tackle and probable NFLer Scott Frantz spoke out to the public as homosexual, he revealed that his colleagues (whom he had disclosed to before) warmly accepted the news, proof that the most authoritative of locker rooms may finally be ready for equality. 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. Accordingly, with more sports figures coming out and openly living as themselves, has the future eventually darted onto the pitch?
Here’s a compilation of players on collegiate and professional teams who have confirmed you can be gay or bisexual and still achieve success.
Carl Nassib
In June of 2021, the Raiders player Carl Nassib made history with an emotional Instagram post where he publicly came out as the first openly gay NFL athlete. He expressed gratitude for the amazing life experiences he has been gifted by saying, “Howdy all! I’m here in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and just need a second to say that I am gay. It’s been in my thoughts for a long time and finally, I have enough comfort to disclose it. I really lucked out and have a terrific family, companions, and profession any man could yearn for.”
Byron Perkins
Byron Perkins, a Hampton University player, created history in October 2022 when he declared himself gay on an Instagram Story post. 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. “No one should be constrained by what society presumes.”
Colton Underwood
The celeb from The Bachelor, a former football star (who was accepted by the San Diego Chargers without being drafted and spent time on practice squads for the Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles) proclaimed as homosexual in April 2021, saying he had at long last embraced his libido plus “the next phase in all this” was to make people aware.
He wanted everyone to recognize that he still was “exactly the same Colton everyone saw on TV” and is “delighted to be gay.”
Ryan Russell
In a passionate piece shared by ESPN at the end of 2019, the NFL free agent revealed himself to be “a talented NFL player, a great writer, a beloved son and brother, a loyal friend, and a bisexual man.”
“Today I have two main objectives: re-joining the NFL and living my life with transparency,” he wrote. “I aspire to fulfill my dream of performing the game I have been practicing for my entire life, as well as letting everybody know who I really am.”
