NFL free agent Kerry Rhodes will probably end up being the unwilling face of the first outed NFL athlete. His alleged ex-boyfriend, Russell “Hollywood” Simpson has given an interview with details as to how the two met, if his teammates knew and why he’s coming forward now.
Hollywood claims that not only did Kerry’s teammate know, their wives did too. It was sort of an open secret that players didn’t acknowledge. Hollywood also claims Kerry gave him a promise ring, the two had matching tattoos and he was Kerry’s first open relationship. Bossip has the details.
I met him at an NFL training camp. A friend of mine was up there trying to get hired as a player’s assistant and I kinda tagged along. I don’t wanna be anyone’s assistant and I basically helped my friend get to Arizona (Cardinals) to get a job. We went up the hotel suite and Kerry was up there. We talked and that was about it. I later went back to North Carolina and he called me wanting me to come back to Arizona to help manage his assistants and personal team. We started dating about 2 months after and then got in a relationship.
Russell: I was like his wife. I ran the household and took care of all his personal needs. If anyone needed anything from Kerry they came to me! That’s what Kerry loved about me. i didn’t take no sh*t from nobody. Kerry is kinda a dumb athlete, like a dumb jock. So, I took care of things that he didn’t understand. And yes, his teammates did know about me. It was kinda unspoken but I was at all his training camps and events. The other wives knew and loved me too. I was always there. It was no secret!
Jill Says: I’ve always maintained that in general teammates know if a player is engaging in an “alternative” lifestyle and for the most part it’s ignored or not spoken about publicly. Especially if that teammate is contributing to the team’s greater good.
How was your sex life with Kerry? Was he top or power bottom?
*laughs* It was great! It was very passionate because we were so in love. Of course he was the top! I’m not doing all that damn work! But, we were extremely close. It was very good and he put it on me!
Jill says: Oh
I was the first gay man Kerry was with publicly. You can look at the photos and see were clearly together. We were together for about a year and two months. We were together for a while and in love.
Did you benefit because of this relationship? What gifts did Kerry buy you any special gifts?
Kerry paid for everything. We had a very good life together. I always got any and everything I ever asked for. Vacations, red bottoms, the private jet in my video was us going to training camp together. I had a driver and he even gave me his Aston Martin. He later bought me my own car and because I’m not a dumb bi**h I made sure to get it my own name and he paid the whole thing off! He treated me very well. I will never talk bad about him in that way because he was really good to me.
Jill says: Considering he felt Kerry treated him well, why step out with all of this now. He understands what’s at risk. It just reeks of a jilted lover seeking revenge.
Did you ever encounter any other gay football players?
Russell: Well, I don’t know. All of his teammates in Arizona (Cardinals) know about me. But you would see guys with a lot of male assistants who always surrounded themselves with men but it wasn’t openly discussed. So I don’t know if they were gay but you know…
How did you feel when Kerry denied being gay? Did he reach out to you?
Yes he actually text me like “Hey baby, can you just not say anything about all this” but that’s what I don’t like. He’s lying because he’s trying to protect his free agency. He’s not going to be one of those guys who come out in the league because he cares too much about that. But why is he lying?? LOOK AT THE PICS!! He loved me and now he’s lying. That’s why I put him out there because he came for me. I’m not here for fame. He wanted me to have a reality show because he said I was destined for it. His teammates said I had a great personality and encouraged me to be on TV. This was our life! This was real!
Hollywood had this to add about gay athletes
I feel bad that this had to come out this way for Kerry. As recently as a month ago, one of Kerry’s Cardinal teammates was sent some of these photos. Russell claims he didn’t leak the photos but, someone absolutely had an agenda with pushing Rhodes out of his alleged closet.
This could be a positive however. I hope Kerry uses this as an opportunity to embrace his true self. Now is the perfect time. When the photos first leaked, Kerry said Hollywood was just his assistant and that he was straight.
You can check out the trailer for Hollywood’s reality show pitch. Please note you can see Kerry throughout the video.
