Newly-out football player pens wonderfully romantic love poem for his boyfriend
NFL veteran Ryan Russell (right) with his boyfriend, the professional dancer Corey O’Brien (Instagram/@corey_obrien)
American football player Ryan Russell, who recently made headlines by coming out as bisexual, has shared a wonderfully romantic love poem he wrote for his boyfriend.
The 27-year-old NFL veteran previously played for the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but is currently a free agent and hoping to be signed by a new team.
He came out as bisexual in a moving essay last week — a bold move considering that there isn’t a single openly LGBT+ player in the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball or the NHL.
But his latest Instagram post shows he’s not afraid to hide his love for his partner, the professional dancer Corey O’Brien.
The poem reads:
I need to write more when I’m in love.
I need to stop holding your hand on these long Malibu walks
And write more.
I need to stop staring deeply into your eyes across the dinner table
And write more.
I need to stop watching you dance through the night
And write more.
I need to take a longer break between kisses,
Pull out my journal
And write more.
I need to stop thinking about how I’m going to make you mine.
And write more.
I need to stop planning our future together
And write more.
I need to stop imagining you holding our son
And write more.
I need to stop smiling at the thought of us
Old and gray, hand in hand,
And write more.
And he tagged O’Brien at the end of the post, just in case you were in any doubt as to who it’s written for.
Ryan Russell’s talents clearly aren’t limited to football, as you can see from the full writing and poetry collection published on his website.
Taquan Mizzell of the Chicago Bears is stopped by Terrence Fede, Ryan Russell and Deon Lacey of the Buffalo Bills during a preseason game on August 30, 2018 in Chicago. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty)
LGBT+ players in the NFL.
Very few American football players have come out as LGBT+ and none have done so while still playing in the NFL.
Michael Sam came out as gay in 2014 before being drafted to the St Louis Rams, making him the first openly gay player to be drafted in the NFL. However, he was cut during the final preseason roster cut-downs.
Ryan O’Callaghan, a retired player who came out after leaving the sport, said there is “at least one” gay or bisexual player in every team.
He revealed that he regularly hears from other LGBT+ players who are too scared to come out because they are afraid of losing their sponsorships or jobs. He told Reuters last week: “I can promise you there’s plenty of closeted NFL players.
“I think it’s safe to say there’s at least one on every team who is either gay or bisexual. A lot of guys still see it as potentially having a negative impact on their career.”
