Trey McBride Is Now First NFL Player With Same-Sex Parents

Trey McBride, drafted by the Arizona Cardinals Friday, is now the first NFL player with same-sex parents.

McBride is one of five children of Kate and Jen McBride. A tight end who starred at Colorado State University, he was drafted by the Cardinals in the second round and was the 55th player drafted overall.

He grew up in Fort Morgan, Colo., a small town in the northeastern part of the state. He discussed his family and upbringing with Today's Kristen Dahlgren last week, ahead of the draft.

"They've done a great job of pushing me to be the best version of myself, just constantly getting support and love," McBride said of his two moms.

"I'm excited to see him just live his dream," Kate McBride said. "When your kid comes to you when they're little and they say they want to be president, it's 'OK, honey, that's great.' He wanted to play in the NFL, and he's going to do it."

Kate and Jen McBride started their family in the mid-1990s, when same-sex couples with children were something of a novelty. When Dahlgren asked how they prepared their kids to deal with ignorant comments, they said they told their offspring to be self-confident and know the family was always in their corner.

Trey McBride said growing up in his rural community was "awesome" and that he never considered his family unusual. Playing in the NFL "could really be the platform to kind of help change things [regarding LGBTQ+ families] and kind of shine a light on this, but really, it's just normal to me," he said.

In his senior year at Colorado State, McBride led the NCAA in receptions and yards gained by a tight end, and he became the first CSU athlete to be named an All-American by unanimous vote, The Fort Morgan Times reports. He won the 2021 John Mackey Award, given to the best collegiate tight end in the nation.

He watched the draft with family and friends and was elated when he heard his name announced Friday. "This is a moment I've been dreaming of my whole life," he told the Times. "It just means the world to me. It's so special and I'm so grateful that the Cardinals believe in me and want me to be a part of their organization. I'm jacked up. I feel like I could run through a brick wall right now."