Katie Sowers is the first NFL coach to come out publicly as a member of the LGBTQ community.
Sowers, who was hired as a full-time assistant coach by the 49ers after completing an internship with the team earlier this month, discussed her sexual orientation with OutSports.
“No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are,” Smith told the site. “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.”
Sowers, 31, will be the second full-time female coach in NFL history. Kathryn Smith was the first, working for the Bills last season as a special teams quality control coach. Sowers, who was an intern on the Falcons’ staff in 2016 with new 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, will work with the wide receivers in San Francisco.
“We’ve got a group of guys who have the ultimate respect,” 49ers wideout Jeremy Kerley told the San Jose Mercury News about Sowers. “She sits back and comes at you like anyone else would. I love it.”
Sowers played quarterback professionally in the Women’s Football Alliance for her hometown Kansas City Titans. She also played defensive back for the U.S. national team at the IFAF Women’s World Championship.
Sowers joined the 49ers as an intern. She was one of eight working with the franchise through the Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship, which began in the 1980s. She had a similar internship last summer with the Falcons, before a second internship with the franchise’s scouting department during the season.
The news comes one day after the league launched NFL Pride, an LGBTQ affinity group, with an event attended by commissioner Roger Goodell in New York.