Jacksonville Jaguars assistant strength coach Kevin Maxen came out publicly as gay on Thursday, making him the first known openly gay male coach in American men’s professional sports. While he has been celebrated by most observers, some have called into question how the story has been covered.
In a recent interview with Outsports, Kevin Maxen said that he wanted to come out publicly now so that he could live openly with his current boyfriend, Nick. Needless to say, given his position in the rough-and-tumble world of pro football, it was a huge personal and career risk. But it was one that he was ready to face, and he had the Jaguars’ support in doing so.
“I don’t want to feel like I have to think about it anymore,” Maxen stated. “I don’t want to feel like I have to lie about who I am seeing, or why I am living with someone else. I want to be vocal in support of people living how they want to live, but I also want to just live and not feel fear about how people will react.”
The Jaguars assistant is the first member of an NFL coaching staff to make his homosexuality public. But Maxen is not alone in his willingness to brave the slings and arrows that might come from being a member of the LGBTQ community to participate in the hyper-masculine world of the National Football League. The first player to come out as gay (and eventually be drafted) was linebacker Michael Sam, who was chosen by the Rams in 2014.
The Jacksonville Jaguars showed their support for Maxen as a franchise, with team owner Shahid Khan issuing an official statement:
“I appreciated reading Kevin’s story,” the release stated. “Kevin is a Jaguar, through and through, and a key member of our football team and our community.
However, varying opinions arose from what appeared to be another story of revelation. There were some who applauded Maxen for his courage, others that eschewed the news because of personal beliefs, and even a handful who questioned how it might possibly affect the team and their procedures. And, of course, every point was met with a sarcastic counterpoint.
Outkick’s Chad Withrow had a little bit of a different take on it all. He wondered why the Kevin Maxen story should be considered a story at all. And while it may be incredibly outside-the-bix thinking to some and completely outlandish to others, the controversial sports analyst backed his theory up with at least a few valid points.
To be fair, he also said the coverage of the Maxen report could be seen as even “homophobic’ in some ways. So, he had to do a little reaching on that take.
“To me, it’s becoming more homophobic to make this thing a story,” he said in a convoluted segment of OutKick’s Hot Mic over the weekend. “Because I would say the gay community, the trans community, whatever community you want to talk about, what we’ve heard and read for years is their fight is for equality and to be seen as equals.
“This is not equality. Hyping a story and putting it on the front page of any media site or newspaper or anything else, because of who someone decides they want to sleep with, and talking about that, should not be a headline in 2023 in the United States of America.”
Despite the number of positive or negative takes, Maxen’s decision to publicly come out hasn’t harmed anyone. And in the grand scheme of things, he’s most been validated, and not vilified. Which should tell people how much things have changed around the National Football League. Whether that’s a good or a bad thing depends on your perspective.
Regardless of anyone’s response to his revelation, Kevin Maxen will be back in full force with his team for what could be a huge season in 2023. Coming off a 9-8 season and an AFC South title, the Jacksonville Jaguars and quarterback Trevor Lawrence will look to take the next step towards a Super Bowl when they open the 2023 season on Sept. 10 in Indianapolis.
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