R.K. Russell, an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, came out as bisexual in 2019.
When R.K. Russell came out, he made headlines as the first openly bi player in league history, but beyond the public attention, his most personal and difficult coming-out moment wasn’t on TV; it was on a quiet night, in a private call with his mother, Martha ‘Marty’ Moore.
In his memoir, The Yards Between Us: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Football, Russell recounts that pivotal moment when he had already written his coming-out essay for the media and told his close friends, but he hadn’t yet told his mother, Martha.
“Coming out to friends was much easier, because if things did go badly, I knew I could just make new friends who wouldn’t judge me. You can’t make a new mother. Even if she hated who I was, she would always be my mother.”
Andscape
A day prior to his story’s release, Russell told his mother that he was bisexual and that the world would know the next day.
Furthermore, in response, his mother asked, “What about football?” Hearing her response, Russell felt that his mother had chosen football.
She further followed up with concerns about her grandchildren and whether he was risking his career.
While initially Martha remained silent for days, one day she called her son, R.K. Russell, asking about his partner Corey and when she would get to meet him.
The mother and son continued to talk and cry for hours.”I’m sorry about what I said when you first told me,” Martha began.
Her voice cracked with vulnerability as she admitted the fear she’d carried, not of who her son was, but of how the world would treat him as a black bisexual man.
“I was afraid,I’ve seen how the world treats Black men, and how it treats gay men. And now to think that you would be subjecting yourself to attack globally for the contents of your heart…”
Martha further continued by saying that her other fear was that she had failed, that she hadn’t known, and that they weren’t close enough for him to tell her first.
Russell hugged her and reassured her:
“You didn’t do anything wrong. I had to go on the journey alone — and I knew it would bring me back to you. The real me.”
That moment marked a turning point. She attended the Human Rights Campaign National gala, where Russell was honored and proudly cheered for her son.
Martha also embraced Russell’s partner Corey, and she began to accept the version of her son who had always been there, just hidden behind years of fear, silence, and societal pressure.
Martha Moore Raised R.K. Russell As A Single Mother
R.K. was born as Ryan K Russell on January 17, 1992, in Carrollton, Texas, as the only child to parents Leonard Russell and Martha Moore.
Furthermore, his biological father, Leonard Russell, abandoned him and his mother when Russell was very young.
R.K. Russell found a fatherly love in his stepfather, Tim Thompson, for a while. Unfortunately, he and his mother, Martha, faced a tragedy when Tim was killed in a motorcycle accident in the spring of 1998, when Russell was just seven years old.
Since the age of seven, he was raised by his mother, Martha, alone, who worked a lot to put food on the table for him. She always made sure that her only child didn’t have to face any struggles in her athletic and academic journey.
However, Martha’s sacrifices weren’t in vain; R.K. Russell soon launched his professional football career and made his mother proud.
R.K. Russell often expresses his love and pride for his mother on social media.
He also paid tribute to his mother, Martha ‘Marty’ Moore, in his book writing:
“My life is a tribute to you, and I can only hope to share your light with the world for all my days. I love you, mama.”
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In Case You Didn’t Know
- R.K. Russell began his football journey at Creekview High School in Carrollton, Texas, and later continued his college career at Purdue University.
- He began his professional journey with the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL in the fifth round, 163rd overall, of the 2015 NFL draft.
