Kennedy McDowell, the lone out gay player in D1 football, just retired — here’s why
Kennedy McDowell retire from football, leaving the Colorado State team two years after joining. He was the rare out gay D1 player. The post Kennedy McDowell, the lone out gay player in D1 football, just retired — here’s why appeared first on Outsports.
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Kennedy McDowell, a top defensive end prospect at Colorado State, has decided to leave his football playing days behind him.
McDowell, who came out as gay in 2023, told Outsports that he has retired from football ahead of what would have been his third season with the Colorado State Rams. He said he came to the decision after physical and mental struggles, and after conversations with his parents.
“I just wasn’t happy,” he said. “I didn’t know what to do.”
A Colorado State Rams spokesperson told Outsports that “Kennedy McDowell has medically retired,” which McDowell confirmed to Outsports.
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Kennedy McDowell is an out gay player on the Colorado State Rams football team
McDowell has been out since 8th grade. He wanted to make sure he plays college football where all of him is welcome.
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McDowell said he had been struggling with physical issues, as well as mental health. In addition to a concussion he suffered in a game in 2023, he said he also unknowingly had a stomach parasite for a year, which exacerbated his struggles.
“I lost 40 pounds and I couldn’t gain it back,” McDowell told Outsports. “I was confused and distraught. And on top of the other mental health issues I was dealing with at the time, it wasn’t a good combination.”
McDowell was a huge get for the recruiters at Colorado State when he chose to join the team as a freshman in 2023. A recent article in the Ft. Collins Coloradoan ranked McDowell the No. 15 recruit all-time in the history of the Rams football team.
During his first season, McDowell was the target of a vicious hit by Boise State’s Chase Martin that sent McDowell to the hospital. The Mountain West officials said McDowell wasn’t targeted on the play.
During his two seasons he played in 16 games with 11 total tackles and 1.5 sacks.
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Gay college football player Kennedy McDowell sent to hospital after illegal block
Kennedy McDowell seems to have been targeted by a Boise State player. Thankfully, he’s “all clear,” according to Colorado State.
Kennedy McDowell journeys into life without football
McDowell now sets on a course of a life he hasn’t known: one without football.
“I have played football 15 years of the 20 years I’ve been living,” he said. “And I didn’t know what I’d do without it. That part has been a struggle. People warned me, that once I left my sport it would be difficult. And they were weight.”
McDowell said he’s learning to lean into other parts of his life, and other passions. Those include his love of playing the esport Overwatch, as well as poetry. McDowell told Outsports he is minoring in poetry at Colorado State this semester. He shared a poem with Outsports that he wrote last season during his mental-health struggles.
McDowell will continue to be a student at Colorado State.
You can follow Kennedy McDowell on Instagram.
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The post Kennedy McDowell, the lone out gay player in D1 football, just retired — here’s why appeared first on Outsports.
