Bulldog teammates vow support for Xavier Colvin
INDIANAPOLIS – Xavier Colvin is the son of a two-time Super Bowl champion. He plays football, too.
Given that so few in his sport are openly gay, the former North Central High School linebacker was reluctant to confide in his Butler University coaches and teammates. Slowly, he reached out to them and to a campus counselor. Finally, standing on a stage holding a microphone, he told the Bulldogs his truth:
I’ m gay.
He said he is not sorry he made that public, nor sorry he waited to do so.
“I have yet to encounter anyone on the team, on campus or in my life who has been super negative about it, ” Colvin said. “And obviously, you have to be prepared for that because you can’ t please everyone. But as of this moment, I have no regrets about it.”
Colvin, 20, is a redshirt sophomore who is 5-9,210 pounds. His nickname is „X.“ His major is marketing.
More Bulldogs coverage
• Football team rallies around 8-year-old boy
• Sorry, Patriots, Gordon Hayward’s a Colts fan
His coming out was first reported by Outsports.com, a sports website that focuses on LGBT issues. Former Missouri linebacker Michael Sam came out as gay before the 2014 NFL draft, but such occurrences remain rare. There has never been an openly gay player on an active NFL roster.
Outsports reported about a half-dozen gay college football players have come out publicly this year. Marian University center Darrion McCalister did so last February.
The Butler player’s father is Rosevelt Colvin, 40, a former Broad Ripple and Purdue linebacker who played in the NFL from 1999-2008. The father won two Super Bowl rings as a member of the New England Patriots.
Xavier requested that his father not be contacted for comment.
“Me and my dad, we have a great relationship, ” Xavier said. “I get told a lot that I’ m like him.”
The son said he did not divulge his sexual identity to high school coaches or teammates. Since going public, Xavier Colvin said, former coaches have supported him.
Colvin said he first reached out to close friends and captains on Butler’s team. He spoke to coach Jeff Voris about his sexuality months ago. It has been “a non-issue, ” Voris said.
All-league running back Duvante Lane said he assured Colvin that he is one of his brothers.
“When we come to play this game together, we cry together, we bleed together, we sweat together, ” Lane said. “So I think it’s far deeper than one of those things like sexuality or race or something. We’ re tightly bonded by becoming a part of this community and team.”
Defensive lineman Connor Andras said he sensed Colvin had been guarded. After Colvin’s address to the team, Andras said, the linebacker has become one of its loudest players.
“Couldn’ t be more proud of him, how tough he is as an individual, ” Andras said. “Really inspired me to be a better person and just be comfortable in my own skin.”
Colvin said Sam’s story helped him, as did the stories of other gay athletes. He was motivated to share his story so that he could let others know they are not alone.
He acknowledged he did not come out while in high school because, among other reasons, he was unsure whether that would affect his recruitment. The Bulldogs and other members of the Pioneer Football League do not award football scholarships but actively recruit.
Colvin said his first two years at Butler were among his hardest times because college students “have so much freedom.” Yet he felt restricted. He became more at ease as he opened up to teammates.
“I just kept it to myself because it was in the best interest of me at the time, ” he said. “Because I was still trying to figure myself out. I mean, I still am now trying to figure myself out. So I have a long way to go to figure out the man I truly am. This is a step in the right direction.
“Timing is perfect. This team, this year, this coaching staff, it’s great.”
Quarterback Will Marty said Colvin is evidence that you never know what inner battle someone else might be fighting. The QB said it took “guts and courage” to stand on a stage before 105 teammates and be that vulnerable.
Colvin said the reaction of teammates, other students and alumni was “eye-opening.” All positive, he said.
He was not alone. Not at Butler.
“There’s a lot of schools that have school spirit, ” Colvin said. “But I don’ t think I’ ve ever seen anything that even matches the school spirt that Butler has.”
Call IndyStar reporter David Woods at (317) 444-6195. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
