Put your hand up if you’d like a hunky, sensitive NFL level playing boyfriend; A man who’s so smitten with you that he feels compelled to come out; Who then takes to social media to post love poems about growing old with you?
Yes, we’re officially feeling a little envious. Last week, NFL free agent Ryan Russell, 27, came out as bisexual.
Related: “Ryan Russell might be the first out bisexual man to play in the NFL”
He wrote a candid essay for ESPN about being a bi male athlete.
How about we take this to the next level?
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At the same time, he introduced the world to his boyfriend, Los Angeles-based dancer Corey O’Brien. The two have just launched their own YouTube channel. Russell describes himself on it as a football player and writer.
Russell has received a flood of supportive messages since his ESPN essay. And now he’s out, he’s clearly not going to keep quiet about his feelings for O’Brien.
Yesterday he took to Instagram to post what’s clearly a love poem to his man.
I need to write more when I’m in love.
I need to stop holding your hand on these long Malibu walks
And write more.
I need to stop staring deeply into your eyes across the dinner table
And write more.
I need to stop watching you dance through the night
And write more.
I need to take a longer break between kisses,
Pull out my journal
And write more.
I need to stop thinking about how I’m going to make you mine.
And write more.
I need to stop planning our future together
And write more.
I need to stop imagining you holding our son
And write more.
I need to stop smiling at the thought of us
Old and gray, hand in hand,
And write more.
He tagged O’Brien at the end of the post. How sweet is that?
Whether you’re a fan of such public displays of affection or not, we hope other closeted athletes are watching and taking note – as well as all those sports-loving kids who look up to them.
Related: “This NFL player says there’s at least one gay on every pro football team”
Russell was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2015, and then played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2016 and 2017. He was signed by the Buffalo Bills in 2018 but his season was cut short by surgery.
He’s currently a free agent and looking to get signed by a new team, writing in ESPN, “Today, I have two goals: returning to the NFL, and living my life openly. I want to live my dream of playing the game I’ve worked my whole life to play, and being open about the person I’ve always been.”
Here’s hoping he’s back on the field soon. And that we get to see plenty more of him and O’Brien.
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Rex Huskey
i hope this does not turn out badly for these guys
JED08
Reading this it’s clear how bisexual he is. No, it isn’t. Just saying.
DarkZephyr
What a strange thing to say. Do you think bisexuals are incapable of deep love and affection or something? If so, why?
JED08
DarkZephyr I do believe that there are some people that are truly bisexual, but they are very rare as human sexuality just usually does not work like that. I don’t think that I’m the only person on here that doesn’t believe him when he says he’s bi. I admire Michael Sam as a person because he had the courage to be real with us and say “nah, I’m just gay”.
calpoidog
Sounds more like a play to get a little celebrity than anything else….
No longer playing on a team…sounds real bold coming out as “bi”
Donston
No, he ultimately isn’t making some big sacrifice like he’s trying to claim. He isn’t in the league, and he likely wouldn’t be in the league even if he didn’t come out. In fact, it seems as if he trying to use this coming out to hopefully guilt a team into giving him a chance or at the very least to get a bit of press and get his name out there. When you look at his approach to “coming out” it does make me a bit uncomfortable, and it does come off more than a bit strategic and manipulative. However, I don’t see any point in sh*tting on his bi identity. You can’t really control someone’s sense of self. Yes, claiming that he sees himself as “bi” simply because he’s dated women before feels empty. And some of his article did make it seem as if he’s still caught up in masculine pressures, gender norms, seeing “gay” as something basic and one-dimensional, and seeing “bi” as equating to being more of a “real man”. He doesn’t seem to have a full grasp of the diversity within the gender, romantic, sexual, affection, relationship spectrum. But people do place pressure on folks to embrace an identity at all cost instead of just allowing folks to be themselves, love who they wish, fvck who they wish and be real with themselves. So, that’s as much the fault of the “queer community” as it is on “hetero normal pressures”.
Do I see this “outing” as groundbreaking? No. But I don’t see any reason to hate on the dude.
Rex Huskey
he’s a f’ing queer like all of us. there ain’t a bisexual thing about all this. look at the boyfriend ……please
Donston
The modern definition of “bi” seems to be having any type of attractions, sexual enjoyment, romantic feelings, relationship contentment or emotional connection beyond one gender/sex. It’s a very wide umbrella. So much so that it’s made the identity more about convenience, sociological maneuvering and politics But “gay” and “queer” seem to have a variety of different definitions depending on the person you ask. While the overall spectrum is very diverse. And fluidity has some legitimacy for some people. While in “real life” I have barely met a person who’s in a same-sex relationship and is homosexual in every way. That’s why I say the emphasis on identity can often be problematic. He’s out and he’s proudly presenting the person he’s in love with. That’s what should matter.
JaredMacBride
If closeted athletes are “watching and taking note” they’re probably thinking how this guy doesn’t have a job.
RIGay
Was thinking the same thing… “Recently unemployed…”.
Bryguyf69
Pretty brave of him to come out when he is an unemployed free agent. Most sports agents would advise against it since being gay is still controversial in football culture. Even if the NFL has made strides, many fans in middle America haven’t. And some in the deep South are downright hostile. Even non-homophobic teams may have reservations signing him since this news can be a distraction. Michael Sams was a prime example. While the primary reason he was dropped was that he wasn’t a great player, many also found him to be a distraction. Allowing Oprah’s production company to follow him around was definitely a bad idea. As much as I want Russell to be an activist and role model, for his own sake, I hope he lays low until he is signed and settled in.
ShowMeGuy
I’m one of those queers who watches football and I’ve never heard of him until now.
He should; maybe, focus on his writing career.
Rock-N-RollHS
Like many gay guys struggling to come out, he had satisfying sexual and romantic relationships with women, but I’m not quite convinced he’s bi, although he could be. I know more black guys who claim bisexuality (or even identify as straight and have sex with men) because of the pressures to be masculine in a racist world where masculinity is sometimes the only power black men have, not mention the influence of the church on black culture.
But hope these guys survive under the microscope.
JED08
How do we know that he’s ever had a “sexual and satisfying relationship with a woman”?
Donston
He hasn’t talked about his feelings towards women or his apparent dating experiences with females. Only that he considers himself “bi” because he’s dated males and females. Ultimately, it’s no one’s responsibility to expose exactly how they feel towards a certain type of person or reveal where they are on the romantic, sexual, affection, relationship spectrum. Yes, a decent percentage of the “bi guy movement” is too driven by internalized homophobia or self-misandry, too driven by latching onto masculinity and some type of hetero image to protect yourself and your ego, driven by latching onto some identity for the sake of social convenience and identity politics, and by seeing “gay” as some incredibly one dimensional thing. But he’s not really the person to confront that stuff. Once again, this is why I have a problem with identity obsession and dependence.