(1984, 1999) Esera Tuaolo and Roy Simmons
Of the three professional football players who have come out in the history of the sport, two—
Esera Tuaolo (above) and
Roy Simmons (below)—played in Super Bowls. (David Kopay, the first player to announce he was gay, did not.)
Simmons, 56, was an offensive lineman for the Washington Redskins when the team played Super Bowl XVIII
in 1984. After retiring in 1985, he announced he was gay on the
Phil Donahue Show and later discussed his sexuality—as well as his experiences with child abuse, drug addiction and prostitution—in his autobiography,
Out of Bounds. Simmons was diagnosed as HIV+ in 1997 and remained out of the public eye for many years, though he did on an episode of
The 700 Club to discuss
his emancipation from the gay lifestyle. Ugh, really?
Esera Tuaolo, who reached the Super Bowl in 1999 while playing tackle for the Atlanta Falcons, has a happier tale: He also came out after retiring from the NFL, in a 2002 episode of HBO’s
Real Sports. Since then Tuaolo’s worked with the NFL and the Gay and Lesbian Athletics Foundation to combat homophobia and testified at the State Legislature Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, in opposition to an anti-gay-marriage bill.
Tuaolo, 43, sang the national anthem at the opening 2006 Gay Games VII and shared his story on
Oprah and
The Tyra Banks Show. (His autobiography,
Alone In The Trenches: My Life As A Gay Man In The NFL, came out in 2006)
. Though separated from his partner, he is the father of two adopted children. A trained singer, Tuaolo released his debut album,
Esera, in 2009.
NEXT: A bonus entry from Jim McMahon! 
On Sunday, much of America will be glued to its television sets as the New York Giants and the New Englanf Patriots face off in Super Bowl XLVI.
With Madonna doing the halftime show, Kelly Clarkson singing the national anthem and ads from Elton John and David Beckham (in his undies)—not to mention an anti-bullying ad from GLSEN playing in the stadium—it seems like the game’s producers are really going out of their way to court the gays. But we ‘mos need a little more encouragement. So Queerty’s compiled some of the most outrageously queer moments from Super Bowls past—from homoerotic commercials to homophobic players—in order to help fill you with the Super Bowl spirit. Go team!
Click through for a roundup of ten gay Super Bowl moments
(2011): NOM Hires Super Bowl veteran David Tyree
David Tyree, the former New York Giants wide receiver whose legendary “helmet catch” helped the team win Super Bowl XLII, started shilling for the National Organization for Marriage when the push for marriage equality started heating up in New York State.
In a nauseating (and probably scripted) interview, he says if same-sex marriage passed it “will be the beginning of our country sliding toward—it’s a strong word, but anarchy. You can’t teach something that you don’t have, so two men will never be able to show a woman how to be a woman.” Tyree added that he would trade his famous catch and the team’s Super Bowl title to keep marriage between a man and a woman. Oh yeah, sure.
Ironically—or perhaps intentionally—Tyree’s interview was posted by NOM just days after his former teammate Michael Strahan made a PSA 
Mike UK
can’t believe the JT and Janet Jackson incident caused so much fuss! we just laughed it off over here, it made more news over here because of the number of complaints from so called angered parents etc and that the TV company got fined for showing what was clearly and “accident”!
KyleW
Roy Simmons had a train wreck of a life, and the wreck continues. Let’s review:
Poster childhood rape and its effects in adulthood
Poster child for masculinity in sport
Poster child for drug-addled self-destruction in sport
Poster child for closet gays in sport
Poster child for christian conversion and gay repression
Given the fact that he kept his homosexuality hidden for 30+ years, I don’t have much faith that he has truly not had sex for 3 years.
I think that this story still has some chapters left to run. I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes a minister or politician, and 5 or 10 years down the line we discover that he’s been having relations with some junior male parishioners. Can I get an amen!
brian
i’m not gonna say who, but i had sex with one of the openly gay footballer in his now hometown. and boy, it was everything i thought it would be. although he probably didnt think i would recognize him, but i did. it’s nice to see him around town every now and then, but its all discrete since he is in a relationship that has gone public
Tangelo
Da Bears! Glad they made the list.
Jim Hlavac
There’s been more out football players, even if not out in their lives:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Smith_(American_football)
Jerry Smith died of AIDS, and David Kopay said “yep, gay.” And well, given the times, 1986, he was gay — and he played in the SuperBowl too.
“Indirectly, Jerry Smith may have been responsible for inspiring the first former pro gay athlete to officially come out, paving the way for dozens more in other sports. And yet, Smith himself never really came out. After retiring from football, he lived in different cities and co-owned The Boathouse, a gay bar in Austin, Texas.”
http://www.gmax.co.za/look04/01/26-sportcomplex.html