A few years after David Kopay confirmed that he was gay, fellow former NFL player Roy Simmons found the courage to do the same. Simmons' time in the sport was sort; he played for the New York Giants from 1979 to 1982 and then spent one season with the Washington Redskins. Wrestling with his sexuality, Simmons developed a substance abuse problem. He managed to persevere, and appeared in the 1984 Super Bowl, but never played another professional game.
Simmons first confirmed that he was gay in 1992 in an appearance on the Phil Donahue show, putting an end to speculation after rumors about his sexuality had begun to circulate. By 1997 he had received the news that he was HIV positive, and he then led a quiet life in New York, passing away at home in his apartment in 2014 at the age of 57.