The National Football League on Wednesday held the official launch of its LGBTQ employee affinity group, NFL Pride. The event was hosted at the league office in New York and was attended by approximately 150 people, including league commissioner Roger Goodell.
The invited speakers for the afternoon were gay former professional athletes and set the stage for important conversations: MLB’s Billy Bean, former NBA center Jason Collins and former NFL offensive tackle Ryan O’Callaghan. Each of them talked about their struggles as an athlete living a secret life, their communications with current athletes, and LGBTQ-inclusion efforts they have seen work in other leagues.