In the wake of Michael Sam’s inspiring coming out tale, many sports fans have been looking back at the LGBT athletes who have paved the way for Sam to reach this phenomenal point. One man who certainly opened a door for Sam was Roy Simmons, the second-ever NFL player to come out as gay, who died last week.
According to the NY Daily News, Simmons died in his Bronx, N.Y. apartment on Feb. 20 at the age of 57. Simmons, who was HIV-positive, apparently died from complications due to pneumonia.
Simmons, who was known as “Sugar Bear” for his smile and kind demeanor, was drafted as an offensive lineman for the New York Giants in 1979, where he played for three seasons before playing one final season with the Washington Redskins.
Following his NFL career, Simmons was ravaged by poverty and spent time as a prostitute in San Francisco.
But poverty wasn’t the only thing he struggled with. Simmons also struggled with his sexuality and the painful truth that he’d been raped when he was 11 years old. It wasn’t until 1992 that he decided to come out on the “Phil Donahue Show.” The following year, Simmons almost committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge, but decided not to because [he said] his grandmother taught him suicide was a sin.
During a 2006 interview with the New York Daily News, Simmons recounted his struggles with his sexuality and explained how tough it was to be closeted in the NFL.
“In the NFL, there is nothing worse than being gay. You can beat your wife, but you better not be gay,” Simmons said.
Just a year before the interview, Simmons appeared on televangelist Pat Robertson’s show to renounce homosexuality, saying he met a pastor who helped him “pray the gay away.”
“We spoke on and learned about homosexuality and the connotations and everything that go along with it. It’s really against God’s will,” he said at the time.
However, Simmons’ longtime friend, James Hester, says that Simmons’ inner struggles and demons led to his death.
“The rape and being closeted in the NFL really killed him,” Hester told the NY Post. “On top of that, drugs played a big role in his life. But when you’re a pioneer there’s no one else to follow. You’re out there on your own. No one stood up for him. He was smart, funny, polite and college educated. But he never really got the chance to feel worthy.”
“At no time has he ever shied away from being who he was,” Roy’s brother, Gary Simmons told the New York Times. “Those who knew Roy know where he stood. Roy was a gay black man who came out of the South.”
But despite the fact that Simmons struggled to make peace with his own sexuality, Hester says that Simmons would’ve been proud of Sam and the changes that are taking place in sports.
“Roy would be happy that Michael Sam could have his lover in the stands or at team parties,” Hester said.
“I guess he’s at peace now,” Hester added.
We salute Simmons for his life, both on and off the field, and hope that he can finally be at peace, knowing his life meant something to those around him and the players that came behind him. – nicholas robinson
