BRISBANE, Australia (AP) 鈥� Ex-rugby league international Kane Evans won鈥檛 have to worry about the extortion threats any more or be concerned about his family finding out about his sexuality before he鈥檚 ready to tell them.
In a television interview Monday with Channel Nine鈥檚 鈥�100% Footy,鈥� Evans said he was gay and that he felt like a weight had lifted off him when he finally could talk about it publicly.
Evans is the first high-level player in Australia to come out as gay since .
Evans played 131 games in the elite National Rugby League from 2014-2021 for clubs including the Sydney Roosters, Parramatta and the New Zealand-based Warriors before finishing off his professional career in England in 2023. He played 13 international games for Fiji.
鈥淚 had three goals in life: It was to play NRL, to buy my parents a house, and then I wanted to top myself, because I was living in denial from a young age,鈥� the 34-year-old Evans said in the television interview. 鈥淚 know that I鈥檓 gay. But I went down every other avenue to sort of build up these walls … to escape who I am.鈥�
After struggling with addiction and suicidal thoughts as he dealt with his sexuality as a younger man and professional footballer, and then experiencing homelessness after a business collapse in his post-rugby league career, Evans finally got the support he needed.
Helping out
Evans said it was only after talking to Joe Galuvao, a former player who works with the Rugby League Players鈥� Association, that he realized help was so close.
鈥淚 thank God that he came and visited me and got me into rehab with the help of the RLPA,鈥� Evans said.
Others in the football fraternity reached out, Evans said. Like Sydney Roosters head coach Trent Robinson, who helped pay the bills while Evans was in rehabilitation and invited him back into the club.
鈥淗e called me just to let me know that the Roosters are still my home and they鈥檝e got my back, whatever I鈥檓 facing,鈥� Evans said. 鈥淭hat meant the world to me. He took me, my best friend, and one of my mentors to Roosters HQ a week after I got out of rehab.”
Evans had planned to come out to his family before the television interview aired.
鈥淚’ve been fighting a war within since I was about 15 years old and it’s not sustainable,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 here today to show people that you don鈥檛 have to live like that. Even now I feel a bit more free, just by saying it out loud, I鈥檝e brought it to the light.”
Evans said he’d had 鈥減eople blackmail me 鈥� I鈥檝e had people try to deflect their problems by trying to out me. And it just built up a lot of shame, and fear and guilt within myself.鈥�
鈥淣ow I鈥檝e spoken about it, I鈥檝e shattered all those chains. They鈥檝e lost their power,” he added. 鈥淚 feel like coming and speaking to you today, fear, shame, guilt — all of that, I鈥檝e cut ties with all that. I feel peace within.鈥�
Great support
Roberts, who played for Australia in the 1990s, described Evans’ interview as an 鈥渆xtraordinary moment鈥� and 鈥淚 was in tears watching.鈥�
鈥淚 am so proud of him,鈥� Roberts told News Corp. 鈥淓verything he was saying … I thought 鈥榯his poor kid,鈥� I know exactly where he is in his head, what he is going through, the extremes of uncertainty of your own sense of self and your sense of other people.鈥�
Andrew Johns, one of rugby league’s greatest players, said the bravery Evans had shown would be encouraging for other people.
鈥淭o come out and tell the world, especially the rugby league world, it’s incredibly strong,” Johns told the Nine network. 鈥淭here’s going to be so much love for him in the rugby league 鈥� he’s going to save a lot of lives.鈥�
Johns said there were a lot of young people struggling with their sexuality and when 鈥渢hey see someone like Kane and the pain he’s gone through, and the strength he’s shown, it’ll help them stand up and talk to parents, or people close to them.鈥�
鈥淪o Kane, well done mate,” he added. “We all love you. Incredibly proud of you.鈥�
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