Wade Davis

Who is Wade Davis?

Wade Alan Davis II is an American speaker, activist, writer, educator, and former American football player.

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Davis grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana and Aurora, Colorado. He played college football at Mesa State and Weber State. In 2000, Davis signed with the Tennessee Titans of the NFL as an undrafted free agent but was cut after the preseason. Davis made his professional debut in 2001 with the NFL Europe team Berlin Thunder and won the World Bowl IX title with the Thunder. After spending the 2001 preseason with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, Davis again played the 2002 regular season in the NFL Europe with the Barcelona Dragons. Davis then participated in training camps and preseasons with the Tennessee Titans in 2002 and Washington Redskins in 2003 before retiring due to injury.

In 2012, Davis came out and spoke publicly about what it was like to be a closeted gay man in the NFL.

He works at the Hetrick-Martin Institute in New York City, New York, as the Assistant Director of Job Readiness, where he helps at-promise LGBT youth learn life skills. His writings and interviews have appeared in The Huffington Post, The New York Times and Outsports.