Former NFL player Jeff Rohrer on coming out and same-sex marriage: 'I followed my heart'

7 years ago

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joshuaandjeffrey/Instagram(NEW YORK) — When retired NFL player Jeff Rohrer tied the knot with Joshua Ross over the weekend, becoming the first ex-NFL player to be in a same-sex marriage, he said the decision was a relief after living in the closet for most of his life.

“I followed my heart,” the 59-year-old told ABC News.

It wasn’t until he divorced his wife a decade ago that he was able to truly tap into his feelings.

“I was living the life of a straight man for most of my life,” he said. “My generation, it just was never part of the narrative.”

Rohrer, an ex-Cowboys player, married 36-year-old Ross, the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” aesthetician, over the weekend in front of more than 100 family and friends.

Rohrer came out to the world last week.

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“To be fully seen by somebody, then, and be loved anyhow–this is a human offering that can border on miraculous.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

A post shared by Josh & Jeff Rohrer (@joshuaandjeffrey) on Nov 14, 2018 at 8:23am PST

“I feared the worst with my kids, I feared the worst with my family, I feared the worst with my friends, I feared the worst with my teammates,” he said. “I feared the worst with past teammates and I would say 99.4 percent I was wrong.”

Ross and Rohrer said they’ve heard from other athletes grappling with the same issues.

“There was a young kid playing, I don’t think it was professional baseball I think it was college baseball, and he basically sent along a message saying thank you so much and I need advice,” Ross said.