Their marriage was unhappy; he recalls frequent arguments that sometimes turned physical. "For four years I lived within minutes of the great gay capital of San Francisco and never had a real homosexual experience," Kopay noted in his book. He jumped in bed with me. He was befriended by Harvey Milk, the openly Gay city supervisor, and Randy Shilts, the Gay journalist who wrote And the Band Played On. His coming out, however, alienated his family. In 1977, he and author Perry Deane Young, who was also Gay, published The David Kopay Story: An Extraordinary Self-Revelation. An outside linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Nassib came out in a video posted to his Instagram account in June 2021, making him the first active NFL player to do so. The two hung out, got drunk, and double-dated girls. He definitely had a positive influence on me." Years later, when he finally went public about his homosexuality, some former teammates were amazed at his ability to perform under so much internal strain. After attending a Claretian seminary for eighteen months and graduating from Notre Dame High School, Kopay won a football scholarship to the University of Washington (Seattle) in 1961. Its a new life for me now without football, living openly as a homosexual. David and I had our differences, Tony Kopay says. Kopays experience of San Francisco was much different this time. The two hung out, got drunk, and double-dated girls. "It's a new life for me now without football, living openly as a homosexual. Dave Winfield has been a top-performing professional baseball player for two decades. Babe Didrikson Zaharias was one of the most versatile and talented athletes of all time; there wer, Winfield, Dave 1951 I think it goes beyond that. : 16 x 14 inches Condition Grade: Excellent Verso . After a cross country book tour, Kopay moved to San Francisco, where hed begun his NFL career in 1964. Call (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelpline.ma.org (MA), Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). And then to have to fight for others to come to understand and accept that we all have the same rights and responsibilities in this society Im hoping I can at least make a difference in that others in my position will have the freedom to be who they are, and to live the lives they want.. Kopay's book spent ten weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. As Tom Dowling wrote in his book, Coach: A Season with Lombardi, the NFL was hardly accepting of gay men. Although hed played three seasons with the 49ers, hed been deeply conflicted about his sexuality then. It was partly confusion over his sexuality. I wanted to do something meaningful, to leave something behind that would benefit people whose experiences and feelings I shared and can understand, he says. Kopay, who has been interviewed too many times to count, said theres a simple reason why his story is still relevant: There really hasnt been that athlete to come out thats still playing. It was an historic moment. "Kopay, David Slowly but surely, Kopay begins to live openly as a gay man. As the first pro football player to come out, Kopay has been around long enough to witness the effect of commercialization on gay players. 0 references. //