Corey O’Brien opens up about dating bisexual former NFL star Ryan Russell
Ryan Russell and Corey O’Brien have been dating for more than six years. (Mike Marsland/WireImage for GAY TIMES)
Ryan Russell and Corey O'Brien have been dating for more than six years. (Mike Marsland/WireImage for GAY TIMES)
Comedian Corey O’Brien has opened up about dating his partner of six years, former NFL star Ryan Russell.
Speaking to People, O’Brien recalled how he matched with the bisexual Buffalo Bills defensive end on Tinder, not even knowing Russell was famous.
“We were getting to know each other, spending time together,” O’Brien said. “I feel we both knew early on that it was going to be something. When he told me he played football, I was like, ‘cute’.
“I thought it was the league on Sundays here in West Hollywood where all the gay people get together and they throw [a ball]. I didn’t know sh*t.”
O’Brien also talked about the hateful rhetoric members of the LGBTQ+ community are facing at the moment. “I’m trying to spread caring, and fighting for marginalised communities. I want to put my money where my mouth is in everything I do,” he said.
@pinknews Corey O’Brien opens up about dating bisexual NFL star Ryan Russell. Speaking to People, O’Brien recalled the two matching on Tinder without knowing what Russell did for a living. “We were getting to know each other. We were spending time together. I feel like we both knew early on that it was going to be something,” remembers O’Brien of the early days of their relationship. “When he told me he played football, I was like, ‘Cute.’ I thought it was the league on Sundays here in West Hollywood, where all of the gay people get together and they throw. I didn't know sh*t.” In 2019, Russell made history by becoming the first NFL player to come out as openly bisexual. To manage the "unnecessary pressure," O'Brien avoided reading online comments. The couple now frequently attend NFL events together. #bisexual🏳️🌈 #NFL #CoreyOBrien #RyanRussell #football #LGBTQNews #LGBTQIA ♬ snowfall – Øneheart & reidenshi
Russell made history in 2019 when he became the first NFL star to come out as bisexual. In a piece for ESPN, he wrote that he had two goals: returning to the NFL and “living my life openly”. Those two objectives “shouldn’t be in conflict”, he said.
But he went on to say: “Judging from the fact that there isn’t a single openly LGBTQ+ player in the NFL, NBA [pro basketball], Major League Baseball or the NHL [hockey league] brings me to pause.
“I want to change that: for me, for other athletes who share these common goals and for the generations of LGBTQ athletes who will come next.”
In 2021, Russell admitted feeling “paralysed” by his sexuality after he decided to come out. “It’s scary, daunting and paralysing but I’ve got to keep moving forward. I want to be the first, but never the last,” he said.
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