The story of Ryan O’Callaghan is amazing. The former NFL offensive lineman courageously came out as being gay, via Cyd Zeigler of Outsports, as his harrowing story came into the light on Tuesday.
A man who said he used football as his “beard” to protect himself from anyone knowing he was gay, O’Callaghan planned on committing suicide after his football playing days were over. Thankfully, he got help at a critical point in his life and is now able to let the world see him for who he is.
One day after his big story came out, O’Callaghan appeared on the Dan Patrick Show and said he believes the NFL is ready for an openly gay player to play on Sundays.
“I’m pretty positive now that teams would accept a gay player. There’s enough guys in every locker room who truly understand and know that it’s not a choice. In society as a whole, it’s OK. I think there’s enough guys that would rally around, I think some would even go out of their way just to make someone feel accepted,” O’Callaghan said (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk).
Michael Sam was the first person to break through the old barrier, but ultimately he was not able to stick on an NFL roster. However, given the evolving social climate in America, it’s only a matter of time before an openly gay player will become a mainstay, if not a star.