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Ryan Russell shares much in common with many N.F.L. players: grueling workout rituals documented on Instagram, competition fire and, yes, a nagging injury that kept him away for all of last season.
But Russell, an independent advocate, said in an interview Thursday night that he was holding back something: he is bisexual. Earlier in the day, Russell spoke about his sexual orientation in a personal essay published by ESPN.
Russell, 27, who has played for the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is the only male athlete from the top four professional sports leagues to openly identify as L.G.B.T.Q.
"It's so much better than hiding, holding back and repressing me," Russell said by phone. "I think N.F.L. is definitely ready to openly accept a L.G.B.T.Q. player."
The sporting and eminent world L.G.B.T.Q. The lawyers took note of Russell's frankness regarding his sexual orientation. He said he received words of encouragement from several former teammates. There was even a Twitter, tennis legend Billie Jean King, who is gay.
"His desire to facilitate this process for L.G.B.T.Q. the professional athletes of the future are inspiring, "wrote King.
Russell said that he was impressed by the reception.
"It was a moment, certainly a moment struck by the stars where she would have even tweeted my name," he said. "It's huge."
No other athletes in the four male professional sports leagues – N.F.L., N.B.A., M.L.B. and N.H.L. – are openly bisexual or homosexual. This is only the second time that a N.F.L. active The player has openly identified as L.G.B.T.Q.
"Ryan's decision to go out will undoubtedly have a significant impact on L.G.B.T.Q. acceptance in professional sports," Zeke Stokes, Program Manager for the Advocacy Group glaadsaid in a statement Thursday. "Everyone should be able to get to work, with its authenticity, and this includes the N.F.L."
N.F.L. and N.F.L. The Players Association did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
In 2014, Michael Sam, the first player of N.F.L. to be openly gay, was selected by the Saint Louis Rams – now the Los Angeles Rams – in the seventh round. Sam's way to N.F.L. was widely told at the time.
But Sam, an American from the University of Missouri and co-defensive player of the year at the Southeast Conference in 2013, was eliminated by the Rams and never played a low shot in the NFL In 2015, he said that he was Get away from the game for reasons of "mental health" after a brief stint in the Canadian Football League.
Among the people he spoke to were Ryan O'Callaghan, a former member of the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs, who played football for the last time in 2010 and became gay there. two years ago.
"Once I made the decision to go out, there was not really any doubt," Russell said.
In 2013, Jason Collins became the first N.B.A. player to go out gay, writing in a Sports Illustrated essay that he no longer wanted to hide.
"It takes a tremendous amount of energy to keep such an important secret," said Collins, a first-round pick who spent 13 seasons in the NBA. before retiring. "I endured years of misery and went to great lengths to lie. I was certain that my world would collapse if someone knew it. And yet, when I recognized my sexuality, I felt whole for the first time.
While in the big sports leagues, there is a shortage of openly LGBTQ male athletes, a number of high-level female athletes are openly gay, including the World Cup football hero, Megan Rapinoe and the WNBA the players Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Elena Delle Donne.
"You will not hear me consider a pioneer," Russell said.
Russell missed the entire 2018 season due to a shoulder injury that he suffered in 2017, while he played 14 games for the Buccaneers, including seven as a starter. It was his second season in Tampa after spending his rookie year with the Cowboys, who drafted Russell, and then Purdue in the fifth round.
Russell said that the past year had been transformative for him after the death of a close friend and his move to Los Angeles, where he was writing poetry and allowing himself to become more open and vulnerable.
He added that even if a little boy saw him on television and gained confidence, the experience was worth it. Russell said that he had visited the San Francisco 49ers and was optimistic about signing a team for the next edition of N.F.L. season, which begins Thursday. He said he did not think his outing would create a distraction.
"The good will come from there," he said, adding, "If nothing else, I'll be able to clear my own conscience and enter a N.F.L. dressing room "and help a team win.
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