Conner Mertens, a redshirt freshman kicker for Willamette University, came out publicly yesterday on Outsports. Within 24 hours it became one of the most-read stories we've had in Outsports' 15 years of publishing. The story got huge national attention. Here are some of the highlights:

Conner Mertens of Willamette University Bearcats comes out, tells teammates he's bisexual – ESPN
Conner Mertens, a kicker on Willamette University's football team, did something last week that no other college football player in the United States has ever done: He came out publicly while an active player.

Conner Mertens Becomes 1st Openly Bisexual Active Player in College Football
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Former Southridge kicker announces he's bisexual | State | The News Tribune
Southridge High graduate Conner Mertens on Tuesday became the first active college football player to come out as bisexual. He's a kicker for Willamette University.

Former Southridge kicker announces he's bisexual | State | The News Tribune
Southridge High graduate Conner Mertens on Tuesday became the first active college football player to come out as bisexual. He's a kicker for Willamette University.

Willamette kicker becomes first college football player to come out publicly | Statesman Journal | statesmanjournal.com
After years of feeling somewhat alone in the world, Conner Mertens, a 19-year-old red-shirt freshman kicker for Willamette University football team, finally has found some peace.

Kicker for Willamette University in Oregon says he's bisexual | Local & Regional | Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Idaho News, Weather, Sports and Breaking News – KBOI 2
Conner Mertens didn't want to pretend anymore — especially with his teammates.

D-III kicker becomes first active player to publicly come out – CBSSports.com
Conner Mertens, a redshirt freshman kicker at Willamette University in Oregon, came out to his football team on Monday night, becoming the first active player to publicly announce he's bisexual.

Willamette kicker Conner Mertens becomes the first active college football player to come out publicly | Dr. Saturday – Yahoo Sports
From Yahoo Sports: Willamette coach Glen Fowles thought redshirt freshman kicker Conner Mertens was going to discuss transferring when the two met last week. Instead, Mertens had something else to tell him. "I'm bisexual," Mertens told Fowles, according to OutSports. "I like dudes. … Continue reading →

Report: Division III kicker Conner Mertens tells coaches 'I'm bisexual' | FOX Sports on MSN
Monday night, in a closed-door meeting with his coaches, a Division III kicker reportedly came out of the closet. Tuesday he came out to the world, setting a precedent for the LGBT community in sports.

Conner Mertens is the First Active College Football Player to Come Out Publicly| Gay News | Towleroad
Conner Mertens, a kicker on Willamette University's football team, has come out of the closet, making him the first active college football player to do so, Outsports reports. Mertens's coming out has been received with open arms by coaches, and…

Conner Mertens becomes first college football player to come out as bisexual | Larry Brown Sports
Conner Mertens, a Division-III kicker, became the first active college football player to come out as bisexual.

Conner Mertens, Active Willamette University Kicker, Comes Out As Bisexual
A kicker for Oregon's Willamette University became the first active college football player to come out publicly when he announced to his team — and the world — that he is bisexual.

KPTV – FOX 12

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