Connor Mertens, an 18 year-old kicker at Willamette University in Oregon, made history when he came out as bisexual to his coach and then the world while still an active player. Mertens has received broad support for his actions, including widespread support from his coaches, his team’s leadership council, and the team itself.
This past week, Mertens tweeted a lengthy leader to the people in his hometown encouraging others to “”Love yourself and allow others to love you. Be who you are and know you’re not alone.” Mertens is from the Tri-Cities area of southeastern Washington state, a region that voted 63% against the recent Washington state referendum calling for same-sex marriage. Voters in the state approved the referendum. The full text of the letter is here.
Other football players have come out to either their teams or the public after they left the sport such as Jerry Smith, Washington Redskins; Alan Gendreau, Middle Tennessee State University; and Brian Sims, Bloomsberg University. Mertens, however, is the first player to come out to the public while still actively playing.
Click here to view the interview Outsports recently did with Mertens, or click here to view the profile on Mertens and his story.