Roy Simmons, the second former NFL player to come out as gay and the first player ever to come out publicly as being HIV positive, has died at the age of 57.
Longtime friend and best-selling author James Hester confirmed Simmons died on Thursday sitting quietly in a chair in his Bronx apartment. He had been recently hospitalized with pneumonia and had been HIV positive since 1997.
“I guess he’s at peace now,” Hester told The Post.
Simmons was known as the life of the party when he was drafted by the Giants in 1979. A big burly offensive lineman, Simmons’ sweet spirit earned the nickname “Sugar Bear.” But his ever-present smile masked his inner turmoil of drug abuse and the secret of his closeted sexuality. He was eventually cut by the Giants in 1983 by Bill Parcells.
Simmons moved to the Redskins and was part of their 1984 Super Bowl XVIII team. But he was out of football the next season. In 1992, he announced he was gay on “Donahue,” a nationally televised show. At the time, Simmons was the second retired NFL player to say he was gay. Dave Kopay, who retired in 1972, revealed he was gay in 1975.
Friends, family members, and a former girlfriend attending the Donahue show with Simmons were all stunned by the news. He had several girlfriends and was the father of a baby. But by then his life had spiraled into a decay of crack addiction, alcoholism and promiscuity.
In his autobiography, “Out of Bounds: Coming out of Sexual Abuse, Addiction, and My Life of Lies in the NFL Closet,” Simmons detailed his life of sex parties, drug abuse and dressing in drag.
Simmons would later say many of his problems stemmed from being raped at age 10 by a neighbor in rural Savannah, Ga.
“I think that through the years there was a lot of confusion brought about in my life due to the rape,” he told the 700 Club. “It led me in areas where I cared not go. But I went there.”
Simmons told the New York Times in 2003 he never considered revealing he was gay during the four seasons he played for the Giants and Redskins because of the likelihood of negative repercussions.
“The NFL has a reputation,” he said, “and it’s not even a verbal thing — it’s just known. You are gladiators; you are male; you kick butt.”
Hester called Simmons a pioneer.
“The rape and being closeted in the NFL really killed him,” Hester said. “On top of that, drugs played a big role in his life. But when you’re a pioneer there’s no one else to follow. You’re out there on your own. No one stood up for him. He was smart, funny, polite and college educated. But he never really got the chance to feel worthy.”
Hester said Simmons’ body will sent to Savannah, where funeral services are pending.