JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Kevin Maxen, an associate strength coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, has become the first men’s coach in a major US-based professional league to come out as gay.
Maxen opened up about his sexual orientation in an interview posted Thursday by Outsports.
“I don’t want to feel like I have to think about it anymore,” Maxen said. “I don’t want to feel like I have to lie about who I’m seeing or why I’m living with someone else.
“I want to express my support for people who live how they want to live, but I also want to just live and not be afraid of how people will react.”
While Maxen’s announcement is the first for a men’s coach, NFL players have been announced before. Michael Sam became the first openly gay player to be drafted when he was drafted by the then-St. Louis Rams in 2014. In 2021, Carl Nassib, then with the Los Vegas Raiders, became the first active NFL player to come out publicly. Nassib played for Tampa Bay last season.
Some US league coaches have come out publicly, including Katie Sowers, a former assistant with the San Francisco 49ers.
Maxen said he was no longer comfortable hiding his sexuality or his boyfriend of two years.
“There are other coaches who have significant other people, and they are talking about their loved ones,” Maxen said. “And I felt guilty that I couldn’t do the same, because I was letting myself down.”
