Denver Post via Getty Images Played in a regular season gameĭave Kopay (1964-72): Running back with the 49ers, Lions, Redskins, Saints, and Packers. Here is the list of football players in the NFL who have come out: Dave Kopay, shown in 1977, played for nine seasons in the NFL. “There’s a few of us that paved the way and it makes me incredibly happy,” Kopay said about Nassib playing in the regular season.ĭespite their small numbers, these 16 are trailblazers and have inspired many LGBTQ people in sports and every walk of life, so they are to be applauded. Dave Kopay was the first player to come out, in 1975, three years after retiring after a nine-year career. Over the years, Outsports has known of a few other players who are gay but have never come out, even when retired. To only have 16 out players among the thousands who have been on preseason, practice squad or regular season NFL rosters (23,000 and counting in a survey done in 2014) is barely a blip and shows the stigma that still surrounds people who play football. 16 and the first one to come out as gay while on an active roster. The NFL has played for more than 100 years and there have been 16 gay or bi players to come out publicly.Īs the 2021 NFL season kicks off, Carl Nassib of the Las Vegas Raiders is No.
