26 Football Players Who Came Out of the Closet

When Kansas State offensive tackle and NFL hopeful Scott Frantz came out to the nation as gay last week, he shared that his teammates, to whom he'd come out earlier, had warmly received the news, a sign the most alpha of locker rooms may finally be ready for equality. That's a quick shift considering retired NFLer Ryan O’Callaghan, who came out weeks earlier, shared that as recently as 2011 he’d contemplated taking his own life as a better option than letting his sexuality be disclosed while he still played ball. So, with two gay players taking the field in the top tier of college football this season, has the future finally charged onto the turf? Here’s a list of players in college and pro ball who have proved you can be gay or bi and still run the gauntlet.