Ex-NRL star Kane Evans 'may have just saved many lives' by coming out

Kane Evans coming out 'may have saved many lives', says Sydney Roosters great Tue 9 Jun 2026 at 1:09pm In short: Football players have shown their support for Kane Evans, who came out as gay in an emotional interview on Monday. The 34-year-old is the second rugby league professional to publicly come out since Ian Roberts in 1995. Roosters legend Anthony Minichiello has praised Evans, saying he may have saved the lives of many facing a similar situation. Sydney Roosters great Anthony Minichiello says Kane Evans "may have just saved many lives" by becoming the second NRL player in Australian history to come out as gay. In an emotional interview with Nine's 100% Footy on Monday, the 34-year-old detailed his struggle with being in denial about his sexuality during his NRL career. "I had three goals in life; it was to play NRL, to buy my parents a house, and then I was going to top myself," he said. Evans said since he was 15 years old he had been locked in a private battle about his sexuality and at times turned to alcohol and drugs. He said his substance abuse led him to couch surf and sleep in parks, which ultimately left him wanting to "pass away". Minichiello captained the Roosters when Evans made his NRL debut with the team in 2014. Minichiello said he was confident Evans would have had the support of the team if he had disclosed his sexuality when he was starting out in his NRL career but appreciated he "wasn't ready when he was playing footy". He said the NRL had "come a long way" and was hopeful Evans's decision to speak about his sexuality and his mental health struggles would give confidence to other people who may be in a similar situation. "He talked about, you know, ending his life, which is horrible. And we don't want that to happen at all. And we don't want others to think that if they're in that same situation," he said. "So I think for Kane coming out and talking about it may have just saved many lives." Evans is the second professional rugby league player in Australian history to publicly come out, after Ian Roberts in 1995. He said coming out was his worst nightmare, but said, "I know if I surrender then it's a start to a new life". "I'm here today to show people that, you know, you don't have to live like that. Even now, I feel a bit more free just by saying it out loud," he said. 'Changing culture comes from the top' Ex-AFL player Mitch Brown, who is openly bisexual, praised Evans for his vulnerability in an environment that is "ultimately considered tough". "What Kane has done and did last night, I think will do so much," the former West Coast Eagles player said. "The one thing that happens is a lot of players, a lot of men players in these spaces, these hyper-masculine sports spaces like, rugby and football, you'll never know the impact that you'll cause because a lot of players will remain closeted." He said to shift attitudes around homophobia and to allow players to feel safe coming out, change was needed from the top down. "It comes from not just one player or outspoken past players, like myself — It comes from leaders," he said. "It's the ones that the coaches, the captains that drive standards and expectations within the football club to really change cultures and attitudes." Chief executive of Pride Cup, Hayley Conway, said there was no question that clubs, leagues and associations at every level of sport needed to be doing more to make sure that all people feel safe and belong. She said it was critical that codes and clubs be vocal and stand behind any player who wanted to be honest about who they are. "To choose to speak to that, and to speak to that whole truth, I think is a really powerful thing to do… so just a huge, congratulations to [Evans] and all of the support, from the LGBTQ community for that as well," she said. The Fijian-Australian played 74 games for the Roosters before joining the Parramatta Eels in 2018. In recent years, the NRL and AFL have investigated and reprimanded players for homophobic slurs used on the field. There have been at least seven incidents of homophobia recorded in the AFL since 2024.