Few people are more qualified to speak about the level of LGBTQ+ acceptance in the NFL than Katie Sowers. The trailblazing figure was the first out gay coach in league history, even coaching in a Super Bowl.
And she says she never encountered an issue.
In a wide-ranging talk at the Robert Dole Institute of Politics at University of Kansas, Sowers says players didn’t express any concern about her sexuality.
“Professional football athletes put their job on the line daily and there were hundreds of people eager to take their place on the roster,” she said. “If an assistant coach, gay or not, could help a player improve on the field “they didn’t care who you are.”
That’s an important point that often gets overlooked: pro athletes have a lot of responsibilities! With non-guaranteed contracts, the average NFL player is most concerned with keeping his job and paycheck.
Somebody else’s sexuality is way, way down on the list.
Former NFL player RK Russell, who’s bisexual, says he doesn’t recall the topic of sexuality even coming up in locker rooms. For football players, the locker room is a workplace.
From an early age, Sowers gravitated towards the gridiron. An elite athlete, she once returned three interceptions for touchdowns in a women’s football playoff game. Her incredible effort earned her the MVP award for Team USA.
The Kansas native started her NFL coaching career as an intern with the Atlanta Falcons in 2016. Former Falcons exec, Scott Pioli, whom ex-offensive lineman Ryan O’Callaghan credits as a crucial figure in his coming out process, brought her in.
In Atlanta, Sowers struck up a friendship with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who wound up becoming head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. She joined the Niners in 2017.
Two years later, the 49ers made the Super Bowl. When players were asked about Sowers, they had nothing but praise.
“She’s been tremendous,” said former QB and Queerty favorite Jimmy Garoppolo. “Katie was here before I was, but just what she does with the receivers, all the skill positions guys, how she interacts with them. It’s special. She’s feisty, man. Katie is awesome out there. She’ll get after guys… It’s fun to be around.”
All-Pro fullback Kyle Juszczyk said Sowers was “phenomenal.”
Proving her coaching bona fides in San Francisco, Sowers also enjoyed a brief stint with the Kansas City Chiefs. These days, she’s the the director of athletic strategic initiatives at Ottawa University in Kansas, where she coaches the women’s flag football team.
“You don’t need a certain chromosome to be able to teach football,” said Sowers. “If there is anything you get out of this, reflect on the biases that you have. The unconscious biases because we are in the way of equality. Every single one of us. We need to check ourselves. Once we can realize that we all have room for growth, I think we’ll see an enormous jump in the way society views women in this field.”
Sowers’ story embodies the NFL’s progress on LGBTQ+ inclusion. Earlier this year, Jacksonville Jaguars assistant strength coach Kevin Maxen publicly came out as gay, and kept on doing his job. The Jaguars currently lead the AFC South.
Carl Nassib, of course, experienced widespread support as the league’s first out active gay player. The NFL now enjoys a partnership with The Trevor Project, and markets directly to the LGBTQ+ community.
That doesn’t mean progress still can’t be made. Star Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins was recently busted for partnering with an antigay hate group, and Washington Commanders cornerback Kendall Fuller faced backlash for promoting an anti-LGBTQ+ organization.
But those stories are increasingly isolated incidents. Sowers is an out gay woman who’s coached in the NFL, and says her identity wasn’t a problem.
We’ll take her word for it.
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Donston
Women will always experience less overt homophobia, especially when it comes to straight-presenting men. That’s just common sense at this point. Also, she’s a coach, someone who has a position of authority. Players would be way less willing to come at her, especially if the team is doing well. But in general, someone’s individual experiences and whether people were nice to them or not, that’s not really the base of any form of prejudice or any social struggle.
sgb609
I wish thus article had at least mentioned that generally, lesbians are much more accepted by straight men than gay or bisexual men are. Especially I’m hyper-masculine fields like football. Also, as a previous commenter stated, she was in a position of authority to these players. I’m happy that she had such a positive experience, but don’t use that to say that homophobia in sports, specifically football, doesn’t exist or has diminished.
seakayak904
Lesbian nuff said.
charette8596
As much as the article seems to throw a favourable light on the NFL, players and coaches never seem to last long once they come out. Katie Sowers is no longer with an NFL team, regardless of how great she was in her job. Carl Nassib was also phased out and never caught on with another team. And to this date, is there any ”out” NFL players? Probably not, because they don’t want to be prematurely phased out of their positions as well. We know there’s more NFL players that are gay but won’t come out right now until their playing days are over. It’s one thing to write a book once your career is over but quite another thing to come out during your playing days.