After he retired from the NFL, he was considered a top contender for coaching positions, but he believes he was snubbed by professional and college teams because of his sexual orientation.
[6] In 1986, Kopay, without naming him, revealed his brief affair with Jerry Smith, a football player who played for the Washington Redskins from 1965 to 1977 and who died of AIDS without ever having publicly come out of the closet.
[7] Since Kopay, six additional former NFL players have come out as gay, Roy Simmons in 1992,[8] Esera Tuaolo in 2002,[9] Wade Davis in 2012, Kwame Harris in 2013, Ryan O'Callaghan in 2017, and Colton Underwood in 2021.
He went to Gay Games VII in Chicago in July 2006 and was a featured announcer in the opening ceremonies.
Kopay announced in September 2007 that he will leave $1 million as an endowment to the University of Washington Q Center.