Former New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Ryan O'Callaghan revealed in an interview with Outsports on Tuesday that he is gay.
"No one is going to assume the big football player is gay," O'Callaghan said in the interview. "It's why a football team is such a good place to hide."
O'Callaghan, who said he originally contemplating suicide after his NFL career was over, initially came out to then Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli in 2011. O'Callaghan stated in his interview that he hopes he can use publicly coming out as a way to help other LGBTQ people struggling with their identity.
O'Callaghan, who played in the NFL for five seasons, made 20 starts in his career for both the Patriots and the Chiefs. The 33-year-old Cal product was originally taken in the fifth-round of the 2006 NFL Draft by New England.
