Male Coach Is First in NFL to Come Out as Gay

In a big moment for LGBTQ+ representation in sports, Jacksonville Jaguars strength coach Kevin Maxen has become the first male coach in a major US men's pro sports league to come out as gay. Maxen, a former Division III linebacker who has been with the Jaguars since 2021, tells OutSports that he wants to live his life openly and he hopes going public will inspire others. "I don't want to feel like I have to think about it anymore," says Maxen, who has been with his boyfriend Nick for two years. "I don't want to feel like I have to lie about who I am seeing, or why I am living with someone else."

Maxen says the level of support he has received from people ranging from his old high school friends to people in the Jaguars organization has been beyond his expectations. One of the first people he came out to was former Jaguars center Brandon Linder. "It was truly an honor and extremely humbling when I was one of the first people Kevin confided to about his sexuality," Linder tells OutSports. "I can't imagine how hard that must have been, not knowing what my reaction would be. I remember the day he told me I was so elated for him to get that off his chest." Maxen also spoke to Carl Nassib, the first active NFL player to come out as gay.

Maxen was praised Thursday by team owner Shad Khan, who pushed for Jacksonville to expand its Human Rights Ordinance to cover LGBTQ+ people in 2017. "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 that 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." (In 2017, San Francisco 49ers assistant coach Katie Sowers became the first coach in a major men's league to come out.)