Jaguars NFL coach comes out as gay in US sports first

Jacksonville NFL coach Kevin Maxen is believed to be the first professional sports coach in the US to reveal he is gay.

Jacksonville Jaguars strength coach Kevin Maxen

Jacksonville Jaguars associate strength coach Kevin Maxen came out as gay on Thursday (Friday AEST) in what is believed to be a first for a male coach in US professional sports.

Maxen, who has been with the Jaguars since 2021, told Outsports he made the decision to come out in hopes of inspiring others while being true to who he really is, as reported by The New York Post.

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“I don’t want to feel like I have to think about it anymore,” Maxen told Outsports.

“I don’t want to feel like I have to lie about who I am seeing, or why I am living with someone else.

“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.”

Maxen has been involved in football for several years, playing for Division III Western Connecticut State University in college before working as a strength coach at Baylor and Vanderbilt.

The strength coach said that he had wrestled with his sexuality in college but is hopeful Jaguars players will react positively to the news.

Jacksonville Jaguars strength coach Kevin Maxen. Photo: Jacksonville Jaguars

Maxen told Outsports his accomplishments inside of football should quiet the doubters.

“I have a pretty good sense of humour,” he said.

“So a lot of the guys I can joke with and not take anything personally.”

Maxen said that being around staff and players on the team led him to his decision to want to come out.

He saw others inside the organisation introducing their families, and this made Maxen want to be able to do the same.

Maxen said he’s been dating his boyfriend, Nick, for over two years, and said he felt guilty that he couldn’t share that part of his life and struggled to reconcile those feelings.

There is now an out NFL coach. So so proud of Kevin Maxen for wanting to live his life openly and inspire others. Thank you @Coach_Kev_!!https://t.co/XAT7VhO5MT

— Cyd Zeigler (@CydZeigler) July 20, 2023

"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."

Jags associate strength & conditioning coach Kevin Maxen is the first coach in major US men's professional sport to come out as gay. https://t.co/b4IrXbdWV9

— Cameron Hogwood (@ch_skysports) July 21, 2023

In February 2022, Maxen reached out to Carl Nassib, who became the first NFL player to come out a year prior, as he decided on how and when to come out.

“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,” Maxen said.

“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.

“And I was right to be angry at myself for thinking that I had to live in the image of anyone else.”

Jacksonville’s director of player development, Marcus Pollard, had positive things to say about Maxen.

Jacksonville Jaguars strength coach Kevin Maxen on Instagram. Photo: Instagram

“In an environment that is diversifying, it is a privilege to work alongside Kevin who is hardworking, dedicated and thriving as a strength and conditioning coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Pollard told Outsports.

Training camp opens for Jaguars rookies on Friday and the rest of the team will report on Tuesday.

Jacksonville is coming off a season in which it won the AFC South with a 9-8 record and defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in a memorable game in the wild card round before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Jaguars NFL coach comes out as gay in US sports first