Trent Robinson says the Roosters and the NRL must create a genuinely safe environment after Kane Evans came out as gay, admitting the club “didn’t do enough” for a player who spent six years with the team but never felt open about his sexuality.
Trent Robinson watched his former Sydney Roosters player Kane Evans step into public view on Monday night, and what came next wasn’t a celebration that could be wrapped up with a simple statement. It was a warning.
Robinson. the Roosters coach. urged Australian rugby league to do better after Evans — a 131-time NRL prop — became the first men’s professional rugby league player to come out as gay since Ian Roberts more than 30 years ago. Evans’ appearance on Channel Nine’s 100% Footy came with raw detail about the personal battles he carried: struggles understanding his sexuality. drug addiction. suicidal thoughts and homelessness.
Evans also praised Robinson for showing support in concrete ways. Robinson handed him his debut in 2014, helped pay his rent, and invited him to the Roosters’ headquarters after he finished a stint in rehabilitation.
But Robinson refused to let that gratitude turn into complacency. He said he was proud of the club — and then named the gap that still existed during Evans’ time in the NRL.
“I’m really proud of the club, but still, I had a guy here for six years that didn’t feel open enough to say that he was gay while he was here,” Robinson said.
Robinson drew a stark distinction between the way the NRLW has created room for players to be open and the reality facing men competing for a place in the NRL.
“’We’re still not at a place where somebody can come out while they’re playing,” he said. “And so the reflection for me has been we do things to support our players and former players, we try and do our best, but have we got the complete right environment still? We can be better.”
He then pushed that message beyond the Roosters. Robinson warned the league not to “pat themselves on the back” because of what helped Evans through his worst periods.
“There are more gay players in the game, there has to be, and we’re still at a point where they won’t come out in the male game; they will in the women’s game,” Robinson said.
The coach linked that discomfort to consequences that go beyond rugby league headlines. He said the courage shown by Evans mattered because the silence is still costing people.
“Hopefully whoever is out there feels really comfortable in their environment to do what Kane did, at a young age, and not feel the pain that Kane and others have felt for a period of time,” Robinson said.
Robinson also argued that safety and belonging aren’t limited to one identity or one belief. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s being gay, having a religious belief, or political belief,” he said. “Our place is safe enough. comfortable enough. where we look after everybody. and then we play tough footy on the back of it.”.
He made the point even sharper when speaking about suicide. Robinson said progress is visible, but the emergency is not over.
“We’re heading in the right direction, but suicide rates are really still very high because they (men) don’t feel comfortable enough,” Robinson said.
For now, Evans’ 34-year-old story is changing what people talk about inside the game — and it is changing what Robinson thinks his club and the NRL need to build next.
Robinson’s focus turns immediately to football. He is now shifting attention to the Roosters’ Friday night clash against the Dolphins, with both sides set to be without a “plethora of stars” because of State of Origin duties.
Kane Evans Trent Robinson Sydney Roosters NRL NRLW Dolphins State of Origin gay players rugby league coming out