NFL coach Kevin Maxen has made LGBTQ+ history with his groundbreaking coming-out announcement.
After years of hiding his identity, the associate strength coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars publicly opened up about his sexuality in a heartfelt interview with OutSports.
“I don’t want to feel like I have to think about it anymore. I don’t want to feel like I have to lie about who I am seeing, or why I am living with someone else,” he explained to the news outlet.
“I want to be vocal in support of people living how they want to live, but I also want to just live and not feel fear about how people will react.”
While Maxen had been wrestling with the idea of coming out for years, he revealed that his family, friends and longtime partner Nicholas Garcia helped him take the leap of faith this past year.
“It wasn’t until recently – and with the immense love and support of my family, my friends, colleagues and peers and the courage and sacrifice from my partner – that I realised I have the right and responsibility to love and be loved, and that maybe sharing this will hopefully give someone else the strength to accept their own life and take control of their own story,” he explained.
Elsewhere in his interview, Maxen admitted that his coming out announcement also stemmed from seeing his Jaguar organisation peers openly discussing or introducing their romantic partners.
“You have other coaches who have significant others, and they’re talking about their significant others. And I felt guilty that I couldn’t do the same thing, that I was letting myself down,” he said.
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“I want the person I’m with to be able to share that with me. For a while, I had such an anger for myself and hatred that I thought was from a fear of what others might think about who I am.
“But that wasn’t it. It was an anger and hatred of myself because I put myself in a life where I was living by other people’s rules and not by my own.”
Lastly, the former college linebacker revealed that he reached out to NFL player Carl Nassib for advice before coming out, which resulted in him getting connected to OutSports.
In light of his groundbreaking coming-out announcement, Maxen has become the first openly gay male coach across the US professional male sports leagues, including the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB.
Since coming out, Maxen has received an array of supportive messages from his NFL peers, including Jaguars owner Shad Khan and former Jaguars center Brandon Linder.
“Kevin is a Jacksonville Jaguar through and through, and a key member of our football team and community,” Khan told ESPN.
“I look forward to seeing Kevin next week at training camp, and hope he comes to work each day during camp and through the season feeling confident, free and at peace. I know our players and staff feel the same.”
Linder echoed similar sentiments in a statement to OutSports, stating: “Kevin, I’m proud to call you a friend and excited to see what the future holds for you Kev. I know your story can help so many people. You the man! All shall be well.”
You can read the NFL coach’s full OutSports interview here.
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