Jacksonville, Florida - On Thursday, the NFL took a big leap in widening the door to its diversity and inclusion in the league.

Kevin Maxen, a strength coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, has come out as gay and hopes it will give others the courage to do the same.

"I don't want to feel like I have to think about it anymore," Maxen told Outsports. "I don't want to feel like I have to lie about who I am seeing or why I am living with someone else."

The news comes almost a decade after former NFL defensive end Michael Sam announced he was gay ahead of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Maxen's coming out is historic for the sports world as it's believed that he is the first openly gay man to coach in American men's sports.

Before coaching at the NFL level, the 31-year-old was a standout linebacker for Western Connecticut who saw coaching stints at Vanderbilt and Baylor upon graduating.

Maxen added: "I want to be vocal in support of people living how they want to live, but I also want to just live and not feel fear about how people will react."

Kevin Maxen's coming out made a huge splash of headlines across the country, with fans pouring out love and support all over the internet.

"Happy for Kevin that he can now live his life openly. Hopefully his journey can help and inspire others," one fan said.

"Had the honor to play for Coach Kev. He was someone who believed in me when not many other coaches did. Pushed me to become a better player & more importantly better person. A TRUE role model of mine and epitome of what a coach should be," a former player under Maxen tweeted.

"To see how Kevin built a support system from other Jags/NFL personnel reminds me of what the NFL is all about. Taking individuals from unique backgrounds and getting the best out of them. Congrats to Kevin for being able to finally live his true life!" a Jags fan wrote.

Since coming out, Kevin Maxen revealed that he has received a great deal of support from his family, friends, and colleagues.