Kevin Maxen Becomes First Gay Male NFL Coach
Maxen, the Jacksonville Jaguars' strength coach, is believed to be the first out gay male coach in men's U.S. professional sports history.
Kevin Maxen, an associate strength coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars football team, came out as gay on Thursday in an interview with the LGBTQ sports-focused website Outsports.
That designation makes Maxen the first out gay male coach — of any level — in men’s U.S. professional sports.
While some former NFL players have come out, LGBTQ visibility is still exceedingly rare in the league. In 2014, Michael Sam was the first out gay player to be drafted when he was selected by the then-St. Louis Rams, but never saw the field in an official game. In 2019, Ryan Russell, a former defensive end who played limited snaps for the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Bucaneers, came out as bisexual, but was never picked up by a team despite being a free agent. In 2021, Carl Nassib, a former defensive end for Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, became the first active NFL player to come out publicly and play in official NFL games.
On the coaching side, several female assistant coaches in the NFL have previously come out as gay, including former San Francisco 49ers assistant coach Katie Sowers, there has previously been no known out gay male head or assistant coach in the league. Curt Miller, who is currently the head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks, is the first out gay male coach in the WNBA, but there have been no out gay coaches in any of the four major men’s U.S. professional sports.
Maxen, who has been with the Jaguars since 2021, told Outsports that he came out not only to unburden himself, but in the hope of inspiring others while being true to himself.
“I don’t want to feel like I have to think about it anymore,” he said. “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.”
Prior to joining the Jaguars, Maxen played as a linebacker for Western Connecticut State University, a Division III college team. He played all 30 games for the team during his three years there, leading the team in tackles for two seasons and finishing his career with 171 total tackles. After graduation, he served as the strength coach for Baylor University and Vanderbilt University. He also had internships as a strength coach at the University of Iowa and the U.S. Military Academy.
In his role with the Jaguars, Maxen works with the offensive and defensive linemen to design their full workout plan, including exercises, weightlifting, and recovery, to help them achieve their goals. He also travels to games with the team.
Maxen told Outsports that being around fellow staff and players on the team and seeing them introduce their family members and significant others at team events and functions — while feeling the need to stay silent about his own relationship with his boyfriend, Nick, whom he’s been dating for two years — also prompted his coming out.
“You have other coaches who have significant others, and they’re talking about their significant others, and I felt guilty that I couldn’t do the same thing, that I was letting myself down,” he said.
“For a while I had such an anger for myself and hatred that I thought was from a fear of what others might think about who I am,” he added. “But that wasn’t it. It was an anger and hatred of myself because I put myself in a life where I was living by other people’s rules and not by my own. And I was right to be angry at myself for thinking that I had to live in the image of anyone else.”
In February 2022, Maxen reached out to Nassib for advice on how and when to come out. Nassib later connected him with Outsports, leading up to Thursday’s news-breaking interview.
Thus far, the Jaguars organization seems to be handling Maxen’s announcement well.
“In an environment that is diversifying, it is a privilege to work alongside Kevin who is hardworking, dedicated, and thriving as a strength and conditioning coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Marcus Pollard, the Jaguars’ director of player development, told Outsports.
Team owner Shad Khan also praised Maxen.
“Kevin is a Jacksonville Jaguar through and through, and a key member of our football team and community,” he said, according to ESPN. “I look forward to seeing Kevin next week at training camp, and hope that he comes to work each day during camp and through the season feeling confident, free and at peace.”
Training camp opened for Jaguars rookies on Friday, and the rest of the team will report on Tuesday. The Jaguars, led by former No. 1 draft pick Trevor Lawrence at quarterback, are the current defending AFC South champions, and — with Maxen’s help — are looking to improve their standing within the intensely competitive American Football Conference.
Last year, the team finished 9-8 and qualified for the playoffs, pulling off an upset victory against the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round before falling to the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City chiefs in the divisional round.
As for Maxen’s place within the Jaguars organization, he says he’s used to being different from the crowd, not only due to his sexual orientation, but his race and religion. He is hopeful that Jaguars players will react positively to his coming out, and will judge, and ultimately accept, him based on his work ethic, personality, and sense of humor — including his ability to let jokes roll off his back without taking things personally.
“As a Black Jew who has dated both men and women, who has been a strength coach at the highest level of professional football, I’ve learned that how I look, what I believe in, and especially who I am physically or emotionally attracted to should not impact the way I or other people view my worth,” he told Outsports. ““And it should certainly not dictate what I feel I am capable of accomplishing.”
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