Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jeff Rohrer comes out as gay ahead of his marriage to longtime partner
The American footballer never felt comfortable enough to come out earlier in his life
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
The former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jeff Rohrer has come out as gay and revealed he is marrying his partner this Sunday.
The American football player spent six seasons with the Cowboys – appearing in 83 games between 1982 and 1987 – but never felt comfortable enough to come out earlier in his life.
In an interview with Outsports, he said: “Living with my family in that [Southern California] community, it was not acceptable.
“That was not part of the plan, and it wasn’t going to happen. When I went to Yale, it was the same thing there.
“And then I got drafted by the Cowboys. What am I going to do, come out then?”
In 2011, Rohrer concurred with Michael Irvin’s assessment that his team would have welcomed an openly gay player on the time.
He said: “I would agree with Michael. The generation before him, I would say that’s true as well.
“I’m not sure about the Cowboy leadership, but the team, knowing the guys and especially how they have reacted to me so far, they wouldn’t have cared.”
Now, this Sunday Rohrer is set to marry his partner, Joshua Ross, after dating for more than two years.
He also hit back at Vice-President Mike Pence for his anti-gay stance and said: “My experience is that people are born gay, and anyone who wants to dispute that I’d be happy to have a conversation with them, including Mike Pence. I’d love to sit down with him.”