Roy Simmons

Roy Franklin Simmons (November 8, 1956 – February 20, 2014) was an American professional football player who played as a guard in the National Football League (NFL) with the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. With the Redskins he played in Super Bowl XVIII. He became the second former NFL player to come out as gay and the first to disclose that he was HIV-positive.

Early life Born in Savannah, Georgia, Simmons had five siblings. As a child, he was sexually assaulted by a male acquaintance, and he later said that he was severely affected by the trauma of that event. At Alfred E. Beach High School in Savannah, he became a highly recruited football star before committing to play at Georgia Tech.

Professional career After his career at Georgia Tech, he became an eighth-round draft pick (201st overall) of the New York Giants in 1979. After signing with the team, Simmons moved his three younger brothers to New Jersey to live with him. Later, his mother and other family members moved in.

Simmons later said that he fell into problems with substance abuse during his time in the NFL. He felt that he had to keep his sexuality a secret, writing, "The N.F.L. has a reputation, and it’s not even a verbal thing — it's just known. You are gladiators; you are male; you kick butt." His autobiography, Out of Bounds, was published that year. In 2015, he was inducted into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame.

In an interview in 2019, former NBA player Al Harrington revealed that Simmons was his cousin, and that as a child his goal was to grow up and play for the New York Giants just like his older cousin Roy.