Kevin Maxen, an associate strength coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars, made history by becoming the first male coach in a major American men’s sport to come out as gay.
Maxen came out in an interview with the SBNation site OutSports – detailing that he has been in a relationship with his boyfriend, Nick, for about two and a half years.
“I don’t want to feel like I have to think about it,” Maxen told Outsports. “I don’t want to feel like I have to lie about who I hang out with or why I live with someone else.
“I want to support people who live the way they want to live, but I also just want to live and not feel fear about how people will react.”
Maxen is believed to be the first coach in the four major American sports leagues – the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL – to come out publicly.
Kevin Maxen, an associate strength coach with the Jaguars, has come out as gay
“It was only recently — and with the immense love and support of my family, my friends, colleagues and peers, and the courage and sacrifice of my partner — that I realized that I have a right and a responsibility to love and be loved, and that sharing this will hopefully empower someone else to accept their own life and take control of their own story,” said Maxen.
Prior to his role with the Jaguars, he was a strength coach for the Baylor and Vanderbilt football teams. Prior to that, he interned at Army and Iowa.
Maxen played linebacker at Division-III Western Connecticut State – where he earned first-team defensive honors his senior year and was captain for three seasons.
He told Outsports that he questioned his sexuality while in college. But now in the NFL, he expects the reactions of the players he works with with hope.
“I have a pretty good sense of humor,” he said. “So I can joke around with a lot of the guys without taking anything personal.”
Maxen says he felt compelled to come out now after being around others in the Jaguars organization speaking about their families and partners at team events and functions.
“You have other coaches who have significant others, and they talk about their significant others,” Maxen said. And I felt guilty that I couldn’t do the same, that I let myself down.
“I want the person I’m with to be able to share that with me.”
Maxen says he has been with his partner Nick for at least two and a half years
He added, “For a while I was so angry and hated at myself that I thought it stemmed from fear of what others would think of who I am.
‘But it wasn’t. It was anger and hatred at myself for putting myself in a life where I was living by other people’s rules and not my own.
“And I was rightly angry with myself for thinking I had to live in someone else’s image.”
When he felt he wanted to come out, he reached out to Carl Nassib – the first active NFL player to come out as gay – for advice, which led him to Outsports.
Within the team he works for, a number of colleagues have supported him in coming out and sharing who he is.
“In an environment that is diversifying, it is a privilege to work with Kevin, who is hard working, dedicated and thriving as a strength and conditioning coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars,” said former NFL tight end and Jaguars Director of Player Development Marcus Pollard.
Maxen says he was forced to come out after feeling ‘I was living by other people’s rules and not mine’
Brandon Linder, now a retired NFL center, said, “Kevin played a huge part in preparing me for every Sunday during my senior year in the NFL.
“He wrote me workouts with exercises that would help with my shortcomings, helping me become the best version of myself in that area.
“Our friendship grew with the time we spent together and we shared a lot of similarities in our outlook on life because we’re someone who just gets it. He understands what life is really about. That’s why I pulled myself towards him.
“It was truly an honor and very humiliating when I was one of the first people to confide in Kevin about his sexuality. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been, not knowing what my reaction would be. I remember the day he told me I was so excited he got that off his chest.’