NFL Coach Comes Out as Gay, a First in Major US Pro Sports
As sports quickly enters a rather dead time in the year (three of the four major North American pro sports have nothing going on, and the third is smack dab in the middle of a 162-game season), it doesn’t take much to capture national sports headlines.
Despite that, history suggests that this particular story would’ve captured national attention regardless, given how just about every massive LGBT issue, especially in sports, inevitably ends up as part of the zeitgeist.
The latest version of this story emanates from football, where Jacksonville Jaguars assistant strength and conditioning coach Kevin Maxen received blowout coverage from pro-LGBT sports site OutSports over his coming out publicly.
“Maxen is coming out to live openly with his boyfriend and inspire others to be their true selves,” the outlet gushes in a headline before even getting to the article.
As is often the case in these scenarios, Maxen was lauded for his unrelenting bravery and undaunted heroism.
“Now in the NFL, he said he is hopeful about the reaction Jaguars players will have to his truth,” OutSports’ Cyd Zeigler wrote. “He’s confident his work ethic, personality and commitment to the team’s success will win over any doubters.”
Now, it is worth pointing out that nowhere in the article is there much mention of those “doubters,” so it’s not entirely clear what particular hardship those “doubters” are a part of.
If anything, the OutSports article painted the picture of a man who may have been overly concerned about his sexuality.
When Maxen and his partner, only identified as “Nick,” told old high school friends about their unrevealed homosexuality, the response they got was decidedly muted.
“Why didn’t you just tell us earlier?” they asked the two.
Maxen also isn’t facing any pressure whatsoever from his superiors over his sexuality — in fact, it’s quite the opposite, according to ESPN.
“Kevin is a Jacksonville Jaguar through and through, and a key member of our football team and community,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan told ESPN in a statement. “I look forward to seeing Kevin next week at training camp, and hope that he comes to work each day during camp and through the season feeling confident, free and at peace. I know our players and staff feel the same.”
Marcus Pollard, who is Jacksonville’s director of player development, told OutSports: “In an environment that is diversifying, it is a privilege to work alongside Kevin who is hardworking, dedicated and thriving as a strength and conditioning coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars.”
Maxen’s revelation also appears to be a first in those aforementioned top four North American sports, as Zeigler notes that the coach “is believed to be the first-ever publicly out male coach in major American men’s pro sports.”
ESPN offered no such doubts, and flat-out stated that Maxen was “the first male coach in major American men’s professional sports to publicly come out as gay.”
Regardless, the move is clearly being celebrated, as evidenced by the two glowing pieces from the largest sports site in the world and the largest sports site in the world with a specific LGBT tilt.
Most recently, the NFL again welcomed a member of its fraternity “coming out” when then-Las Vegas Raider Carl Nassib (he is currently an unsigned free agent) came out as gay in 2021.
Before that, the next-most-prominent gay athlete in the NFL was former St. Louis Rams defensive end Michael Sam, whose NFL career never grew beyond “being the first openly gay player drafted.”
The Jaguars will next take a football field August 12, when the team kicks its preseason off with a game against the Dallas Cowboys.
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