There are gay players in the NFL right now. How do I know this? Well, there is a certain percentage of people in the world who are gay. And there are hundreds of players in the NFL right now. So, using the law of averages, I think that it is safe to assume that there are gay players in the NFL right now. Even if they’re in the minority, they’re out there. We just don’t know about, well, any of them because they don’t feel comfortable coming out and publicly acknowledging that they are gay. I can’t pretend to know or understand why they feel that way. But, because football players are supposed to be “tough” and “masculine,” I’d guess that many of them are ashamed of their sexuality and don’t want other people to know about it.

Wade Davis used to be one of those guys. During his NFL career, he played defensive back for the Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins, and Seattle Seahawks. But now, he’s retired—and he’s sharing a secret that he never told anyone during his playing days. Yup, you guessed it. Davis is gay. And, in this sit-down interview with Amy K. Nelson, he explains when he knew he was gay, how he hid it from his teammates, and why he’s coming out now:

These days, Davis works with young people in New York City through the Hetrick-Martin Institute, which is an organization that helps gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. It provides them with a close-knit family to help them through their struggles. And, who better to teach them about life than a guy like Davis, who has struggled and continues to struggle with his identity everyday? He’s got one hell of a story and it’s great to see him coming out and showing people that there are gay players in the NFL. And, hopefully, more of them will feel comfortable enough to follow Davis’s lead in the future.

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