Former Patriots offensive lineman Ryan O'Callaghan came out as gay in June 2017, and the Cal product recounted a call from New England owner Robert Kraft in his book My Life on the Line: How the NFL Damn Near Killed Me and Ended up Saving My Life, set for release in September.
"What you did took a lot of courage. I'm so proud of you," Ryan O'Callaghan recalled Kraft saying at a reception in 2017.
"For [Kraft], who opens up to me about a gay friend, I am the most important person in the world in those few moments.