49ers assistant Katie Sowers comes out as 1st LGBT coach in NFL
San Francisco 49ers assistant Katie Sowers became the second female hired as a full-time NFL coach earlier in August, and she continued to make history Tuesday by becoming the first openly gay coach in the league.
"No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are," Sowers told Jim Buzinski of Outsports.com. "There are so many people who identify as LGBT in the NFL, as in any business, that do not feel comfortable being public about their sexual orientation.
"The more we can create an environment that welcomes all types of people, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, the more we can help ease the pain and burden that many carry every day."
The 31-year-old developed a love for football at an early age and played professionally in the Women's Football Alliance, winning a world title and gold medal in 2013.
Now, Sowers has the chance to be the female role model in the league - something that was lacking for her during her childhood spent dreaming about being part of the NFL.
"The most fulfilling aspect is having the ability to impact the lives of these young men chasing their dream of playing in the NFL, as well as serve as a role model for young girls who might happen to see me following my passion," she said. "I am a strong believer that the more we can expose children to a variety of different opportunities in life, the better chance they have of finding their true calling.
"I would have loved to see women in this role when I was growing up because I think it would have allowed me to follow my passion even earlier. If you can't see something happen, sometimes it's hard to believe it can. We don't know what we don't know, and I didn't know football was even a possibility for women."
Sowers started her NFL career as an intern with the Atlanta Falcons in 2016, impressing then-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and ultimately following him to San Francisco.
"Katie did a real good job for us in Atlanta, she's done a really good job here," Shanahan told reporters earlier this month. "She helps (receivers coach) Mike LaFleur out, just with some rotations and she helps our quality control (coaches) out just with all the stuff they have to do. She's a hard worker, you don't even notice her because she just goes to work and does what's asked. Because of that, she's someone we'd like to keep around."
Sowers is hoping her reveal helps inspire more of the LGBT community in the NFL and eases "the pain and burden that many carry every day."
"There are so many people who identify as LGBT in the NFL, as in any business, that do not feel comfortable being public about their sexual orientation," Sowers said. "The more we can create an environment that welcomes all types of people, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, the more we can help ease the pain and burden that many carry every day."