Kevin Maxen Becomes First Out Gay NFL Coach
metroweekly.comOutsports.That designation makes Maxen the first out gay male coach — of any level — in men’s U.S. professional sports.While some former NFL players have come out, LGBTQ visibility is still exceedingly rare in the league.
In 2014, Michael Sam was the first out gay player to be drafted when he was selected by the then-St. Louis Rams, but never saw the field in an official game.
In 2019, Ryan Russell, a former defensive end who played limited snaps for the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Bucaneers, came out as bisexual, but was never picked up by a team despite being a free agent.
In 2021, Carl Nassib, a former defensive end for Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, became the first active NFL player to come out publicly and play in official NFL games.On the coaching side, several female assistant coaches in the NFL have previously come out as gay, including former San Francisco 49ers assistant coach Katie Sowers, there has previously been no known out gay male head or assistant coach in the league.
