AAA<\/p>\n
The NRL has lauded the courage of Kane Evans for coming out as gay, believing his stance will prompt important conversations that will assist others struggling with their sexuality.<\/p>\n
Evans – a Fijian international who played for NRL clubs the Roosters, Eels and Warriors – detailed his struggles with alcohol, substance addiction and suicidal thoughts while wrestling with his sexuality during an emotional interview aired on Channel Nine\u2019s 100% Footy on Monday night.<\/a><\/p>\n The 34-year-old became just the second male player to publicly come out as gay in professional Australian rugby league, and the first to do so since pioneering former NSW Origin and Kangaroos star Ian Roberts 31 years ago.<\/p>\n NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo praised Evans for having the courage to share his struggles.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to admire and respect Kane for being brave and telling his story, being comfortable to do that,\u201d Abdo said.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully that helps him as a human being and inspires others as well. I\u2019m sure there are plenty of people that will feel more comfortable to have those conversations because they have seen someone playing in the NRL being vulnerable, honest and telling their story.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the greatest game for all for a reason. The support the Roosters, the players\u2019 association, the NRL and everyone has shown in the game for Kane now and going forward is testament to that.\u201d<\/p>\n The NRL first raised the prospect of introducing a Pride Round to celebrate sexual diversity in 2022<\/a>, although there wasn\u2019t support for the initiative at club level.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not on the agenda at the moment, but that\u2019s not to say that will be the case down the track,\u201d Abdo said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a range of things that promote inclusivity in its many different formats. It\u2019s a matter for the commission to consider in the future whether that should ever change.\u201d<\/p>\n Roberts became a trailblazer when he announced he was gay in 1994, while at the height of his playing career. The former NSW and Australian prop was mindful of not overshadowing Evans\u2019 news, but felt it had the potential to change not only his life but those of others going through similar struggles.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is his moment. I\u2019m very happy for him,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about me, this is his moment. I\u2019m very happy that he has found some peace, or that he\u2019s starting to.\u201d<\/p>\n Roberts, who is in the process of completing a documentary on his life, said Evans\u2019 story would bring awareness to the struggles many males faced in coming to terms with their sexuality.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully it will make a lot more people sit up and pay attention to what\u2019s going on in the real world,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n Evans also received support from outside the rugby league community. Australian comedian and actor Magda Szubanski posted on X: \u201cOh sweetheart Kane Evans. I\u2019m so sorry you\u2019ve struggled so hard and so long. I know your pain. Many of us do. You are not alone. You will slowly heal. And you will feel pride and joy. Wrapping my fat old lesbian mama bear arms around you \ud83e\udd17 Sending so much love #pride\u201d.<\/p>\n NSW forward Victor Radley began his NRL career at the Roosters during Evans\u2019 last season at the club.<\/p>\n \u201cI love him as a bloke,\u201d Radley said. \u201cHe\u2019s such a good dude. I\u2019m happy for him.\u201d<\/p>\n Evans thanked the Roosters for their support throughout his career and made special mention of Trent Robinson. The premiership-winning coach even organised to pay for part of Evans\u2019 mental health treatment when he learned of his plight.<\/p>\n \u201cThat doesn\u2019t surprise me at all, that\u2019s the type of club they are,\u201d Radley said. \u201cThey look after their own and Kane is one of them. In 2017 when I started and he was in the side, he was the energy of the group.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was the one you\u2019d want to see when you come into training, he was a good laugh. I can understand why the Roosters are supporting him and have said \u2018this is your home.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cHe put everything he had into that club at the time he was there.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article While his professional career finished after a stint with English club Hull FC, Evans continues to play for the Glebe Dirty Reds, a local side that plays in the Ron Massey Cup and Sydney Shield competitions.<\/p>\n On their Facebook page, the Reds posted: \u201cNot sure we\u2019ve ever been prouder of a Glebe Dirty Reds player. What an amazing man. The absolute definition of brave. We\u2019re behind you Kane. Can\u2019t wait to see you run out for us again in a few weeks time.\u201d<\/p>\n Rugby league great Andrew Johns also lauded Evans\u2019 courage.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been struggling and hiding this for 20 years,\u201d Johns told 100% Footy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a very masculine environment in rugby league and he used words like guilt and fear and shamed. I can\u2019t imagine the pain he has gone through at times.<\/p>\n \u201cTo come out now and tell the world, especially the rugby league world, it\u2019s incredible the strength he has shown \u2026 he\u2019s about to live the best part of his life, the second part of his life.\u201d<\/p>\n If you are worried about your own or someone else\u2019s mental health, you can contact the Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511 or Lifeline on 13 11 14<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0ea5ff28e9e94e3e338a5a3de75594d92f1159ca.jpeg\")
Former rugby league star Ian Roberts.Flavio Brancaleone<\/p>\n![\"Kane](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781029291_833_26515152dbc911c2c8ae8bb771f5dd1fcb4f242a.jpeg\")
Kane Evans has spoken out about his mental health struggles and dealing with his sexuality.Nine<\/p>\n![\"Roosters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6a6e12f3c7256d53caf08637107b7f9fd213c76a.jpeg\")
Roosters forward Kane Evans celebrates a try with teammates at Hunter Stadium.Tony Feder<\/p>\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6693250730a704a4076619ff4ae9be300f8a3a55.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Dan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773949213_774_c6acc0581c14a7477781e092516e1810bef13f2c.png\")
Dan Walsh<\/a> is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated June 9, 2026 \u2014 5:13pm,first published 11:44am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":725664,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-725663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=725663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725663\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/725664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=725663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=725663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=725663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}