USA TODAY International Edition
Ex-Cowboys support Rohrer before wedding
Ed “Too Tall” Jones said he exchanged text messages with Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson, another retired Cowboys star, as they absorbed the news.
“Did you have any idea?” wondered Henderson, the former linebacker.
“No,” replied Jones, the former defensive end who said he promptly called former Cowboys offensive lineman Crawford Ker.
“Crawford and I talked a long time about it, and Crawford’s feeling was the same as mine,” Jones said. “I don’t like to use the word shocked. There aren’t very many things that shock me anymore. But surprised. And Crawford was, too.”
What Jones, Ker and other Cowboys from the 1982 to 1987 teams have been discussing: One of their former teammates on Sunday is set to become the first known NFL player to marry a man. A linebacker whom Jones and other Cowboys remember was popular with women — Jeff Rohrer.
“Women loved him because he was a gentleman, he was smart and a good football player,” Jones said. “If you had said, ‘Ed, get me a list of five people in the history of the game (you think are gay),’ he wouldn’t have been nowhere near it.”
Jim Jeffcoat, a defensive end on those teams, noted that Rohrer married and had two children. Jeffcoat said he called teammates after the news broke last week. “They were obviously a little bit stunned. But they respect him and respect his privacy,” he said.
Rohrer, who is set to exchange vows with his partner, Joshua Ross, in Los Angeles, has begun to surrender his privacy. It began with The New York Times story that was published Wednesday. When told how some of his former teammates reacted, Rohrer chuckled and said it’s understandable they were surprised to learn he is gay.
“I was not practicing that lifestyle at all,” Rohrer said. “And I had girlfriends. I had a lot of girlfriends. And was enjoying that part of my life. And life’s a journey. That was part of my life.”
Rohrer mentioned “North Dallas Forty,” a 1979 film that captured the debauchery of professional football. “We had a lot of fun on the Cowboys, I’ll tell you that,” he said. “When you see ‘North Dallas Forty,’ that’s not a film, that’s a documentary.”
Henderson, the famous Cowboys linebacker, said that although he did not play with Rohrer, they have been together at many Cowboys alumni events.
“My first thought was, ‘Oh, wow, I’ve never known a gay linebacker.’ Not that there aren’t (any),” Henderson said.
“I feel sad that he had to live in that closet all those years. That has to be very painful. But I’ll see him at some reunion coming up, and I’m going to just tell him I’m happy for him.”
Rohrer, who started for the Cowboys in 1985, 1986 and 1987, said he told only a few former teammates he is gay and getting married because he wanted to keep it low-profile. That changed after The New York Times story. Rohrer said Mike Saxon, a punter on those Cowboys team, is expected to attend his wedding.
Rohrer added he was unsure how exteammates were responding, but Jones captured the sentiment of former Cowboys who spoke with USA TODAY on Friday. “He’s my teammate and nothing but respect for him,” Jones said. “He was a very hard worker. Dealing with injuries. Jeff always worked very hard to stay on the field, and I admired that about him.”
Rohrer told the Times that if he had come out in the 1980s he would have been cut immediately. He amended that statement in an interview with USA TODAY, saying he might have been allowed to stay after he’d won a starting job.
Jones expressed more conviction. “I would bet my last hard-earned dime that Tom Landry wouldn’t have cut Jeff Rohrer,” he said of the late Cowboys coach. “Coach Landry would have sat him down and just lectured to him like he would have anybody else with any other issue and just let him know pretty much, ‘Hey now, once the word is out, know what to expect. … But I will be here to support you. I got your back on whatever you need.’ ”
Former Cowboys receiver Mike Renfro agreed that Landry would have likely supported Rohrer. “Could’ve caused some problems internally,” Renfro said. “Knowing Coach Landry, I think it would have been OK if the public and his teammates perceived it as OK. … Jeff was a pretty cool guy. He was easygoing. He would do anything for you. He was fun and vivacious. But I don’t know if coming out would have changed the perception or relationships.”
Doug Cosbie, a former Cowboys tight end, said of Rohrer, “I’m just happy for him, that he can be who he is. My whole take on kind of life in general is we’re here to love each other, not to judge people. So it is what it is.”
Jeffcoat was among the players stunned by the news but said, “Just because he has different preferences than I do doesn’t change my opinion of him. He’s a really good person. His character, his personality.
“I mean, he was a genuine person. He was just a …”
Jeffcoat suddenly caught himself. “He is a quality man.”