Former Dallas Cowboys Linebacker Comes Out as Gay, Will Marry Partner

A former NFL linebacker who spent six seasons playing for the Dallas Cowboys has come out as gay and revealed he will be marrying his partner this weekend.

In an interview with OutSport, Jeff Rohrer publicly revealed his sexuality and told the publication he will be tying the knot with Joshua Ross on Sunday in Southern California.

Rohrer appeared in 83 games between 1982 and 1987 for the Cowboys over six seasons with the team after being picked in the second round of the 1982 draft.

Despite being almost 60, this is the first time Rohrer felt comfortable sharing who he is with the world.

“Living with my family in that [Southern California] community, it was not acceptable,” he said. “That was not part of the plan, and it wasn’t going to happen. When I went to Yale, it was the same thing there. And then I got drafted by the Cowboys. What am I going to do, come out then?”

However, if he had, Rohrer said his teammates may actually have been accepting, as Cowboy great Michael Irvin indicated during a 2011 interview with Out magazine.

“I would agree with Michael,” Rohrer said. “The generation before him, I would say that’s true as well. I’m not sure about the Cowboy leadership, but the team, knowing the guys and especially how they have reacted to me so far, they wouldn’t have cared.”

Rohrer and Ross have been together for more than two years after meeting at a bar in Hollywood.

Meet your guide

Evan Bleier

Evan is a senior editor with InsideHook who earned a master’s degree in journalism from NYU and has called Brooklyn home since 2006. A fan of Boston sports, Nashville hot chicken and Kentucky bourbon, Evan has had his work published in publications including “Maxim,” Bleacher Report and “The Daily Mail.”