Aaron Rodgers, a leading figure in the NFL, has expressed that many American football players choose not to come out as gay due to legitimate fears of losing their careers.
The 33-year-old Green Bay Packers quarterback noted that athletes often stay silent to avoid potential discrimination and job insecurity.
To date, no NFL player has come out as gay while actively playing in the league. Similarly, the Premier League has not seen an openly gay player since Justin Fashanu, who came out in 1990 and tragically died by suicide eight years later.
“There’s still concern over job security,” Rodgers said. “If your views or sexual orientation differ, they can cut you.”
He pointed out that with the brevity and high financial stakes of a football career, many players may opt for silence rather than risk everything. Coaches, he added, can simply justify a player’s dismissal by claiming poor performance.
“Is it safer to stay silent,” he asked, “rather than risk being released, with people claiming it’s because you’re not good enough?”
Rodgers also spoke about his friend Ryan O’Callaghan, a former NFL lineman who publicly came out after stints with the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs.
O’Callaghan has credited therapy with saving his life, saying he likely wouldn’t have survived without help, but now says he’s enjoying life.
Rodgers praised O’Callaghan’s courage, saying his openness showed that the sport was evolving. He said he was “incredibly proud” of his former competitor and acknowledged the fear O’Callaghan felt about being accepted and how those around him might react.
Rodgers expressed optimism about the broader societal shift toward greater inclusion and respect, which he believes is also reflected in the NFL.
“I think the sport is getting closer,” he said.
That progress is evident in college football, where a record number of openly gay players are preparing for the season. Scott Frantz, My-King Johnson, Xavier Colvin, Kyle Kurdziolek, Darrion McAlister, and Wyatt Pertuset are among the athletes playing at schools across the U.S. who are publicly out.