Earlier this year, Katie Sowers became the second full-time female coach in the NFL after the Buffalo Bills hired Kathryn Smith as a special teams quality control coach in January 2016.

49ers assistant coach Katie Sowers news

This week, Sowers — whom the San Francisco 49ers promoted from intern to offensive assistant coach earlier this month — made history by becoming the first openly LGBT coach in the league.

Sowers, 31, revealed in an interview with Outsports.com on Tuesday that she is openly gay, and added that she hopes her coming out will help encourage other members of the league who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender to do the same without fear of backlash.

“No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are,” Sowers told Jim Buzinski of Outsports.com. “There are so many people who identify as LGBT in the NFL, as in any business, that do not feel comfortable being public about their sexual orientation.

“The more we can create an environment that welcomes all types of people, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, the more we can help ease the pain and burden that many carry every day.”

Sowers came out as a lesbian to her family while in college. Sowers also told Outsports that football was her favorite sport growing up and that ever since she was child, she knew she wanted to be a football coach.

“The most fulfilling aspect is having the ability to impact the lives of these young men chasing their dream of playing in the NFL, as well as serve as a role model for young girls who might happen to see me following my passion,” Sowers said. “I am a strong believer that the more we can expose children to a variety of different opportunities in life, the better chance they have of finding their true calling.

“I would have loved to see women in this role when I was growing up because I think it would have allowed me to follow my passion even earlier. If you can’t see something happen, sometimes it’s hard to believe it can. We don’t know what we don’t know, and I didn’t know football was even a possibility for women.”

Sowers first began working in the NFL as an intern with the Atlanta Falcons in 2016, where she impressed current 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who was then serving as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator.

“Katie did a real good job for us in Atlanta, she’s done a really good job here,” Shanahan told reporters earlier this month. “She helps [receivers coach] Mike LaFleur out, just with some rotations and she helps our quality control [coaches] out just with all the stuff they have to do. She’s a hard worker, you don’t even notice her because she just goes to work and does what’s asked. Because of that, she’s someone we’d like to keep around.”

Sowers also said that Falcons general manager Scott Pioli — who was the team’s assistant GM before Sowers began her internship — was aware of her sexual orientation when Pioli hired her, and that he and the rest of the organization was “open-minded” and treated her with great respect and acceptance. She also said that she is confident that an openly gay male coach could achieve the same success she has thus far.

“I do believe that an openly gay male coach would be accepted just like anyone else,” Sowers said. “What most people need to remember is that the NFL is a place of work for these players and it is a job that provides for their families. They are professionals and what you will find is they act like professionals in everything they do.

“One thing that you need to do in any team sport is adapt to people who might be different than you and respect them as your family. Who a coach loves has no impact on the way they coach football and if they are unable to make that adjustment, they will have a hard time in any job or team they are a part of.”

Sowers played pro football for the U.S. national team at several different positions including wide receiver. She also served as a USA Football adviser, and as general manager of the Women’s Football Alliance’s Kansas City Titans.

Steelers outside linebackers coach Joey Porter was arrested Sunday night outside a Pittsburgh bar, hours after the team’s 30-12 AFC Wild Card victory over the Miami Dolphins.

Steelers Assistant Joey Porter Arrested At Pittsburgh Bar, Accused Of Assaulting Doorman

Porter, 39, faces aggravated assault, simple assault, resisting arrest, public drunkenness and terroristic threats charges after an off-duty officer, who was working as a security guard at a South Side restaurant, witnessed Porter attack the employee of the nearby bar.

“Once he arrived on the scene, the officer stopped the assault and arrested (Porter)” Pittsburgh police said in a statement early Monday morning.

Porter, a former Steelers player, was taken to the Allegheny County Jail.

Chris Mueller of The Beaver County Times first reported the arrest in a series of tweets Sunday night:

The Steelers released the following statement late Sunday night:

“We are aware of an incident tonight involving Joey Porter. We are still gathering information as it pertains to the situation, and we will have no further comments until we get more details.”

Porter was released on $25,000 bond and has a court appearance scheduled for Jan. 19.

Porter spent eight of his 13 years in the NFL with the Steelers. He is in his second season as the team’s outside linebackers coach.

Porter has had several run-ins with the law in the past, including a 2010 arrest for suspicion of drunk-driving and an accusation of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. Those charges, filed in his hometown of Bakersfield, California, were eventually dropped.

The Steelers will next visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 14: Joey Porter, a former Pittsburgh Steelers player, walks on the field prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome on December 14, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

A Pennsylvania jury on Thursday, in a defamation case against Penn State University, awarded $7.3 million to Mike McQueary, the former assistant football coach who in 2001 told head coach Joe Paterno that he had witnessed Jerry Sandusky sexually molesting a player in the locker room shower.

Former Penn State Assistant Coach Mike McQueary Awarded $7.3M In Defamation Case

After approximately four hours of deliberation, the jury found that the university had defamed McQueary, 42, with a statement in 2011 defending its former athletic director and vice president against a charge of perjury related to McQueary’s claim about Sandusky, a longtime defensive coordinator at Penn State.

“What Penn State has done to Mike McQueary is outrageous,” his lawyer, Elliot Strokoff, said during closing arguments. “He should not have been a scapegoat in this matter, and certainly not for five years.”

Judge Thomas Gavin, who presided in the case, has yet to rule on McQueary’s accusation that Penn State retaliated against him after he testified at Sandusky’s trial in 2012. McQueary was not permitted to coach at the Nittany Lions’ first game after Paterno was fired in connection with the scandal, in 2011, and the assistant coach’s contract was not renewed.

Even prior to Thursday’s ruling, the scandal had already cost Penn State well over $100 million in NCAA penalties, legal fees and settlements to Sandusky’s victims. Sandusky was convicted in 2012 of sexually abusing 10 boys and was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison. Over 32 victims in total accused Sandusky.

McQueary testified to a grand jury in 2010 that in 2001 he informed Paterno, and later Athletic Director Tim Curley and the university vice president Gary Schultz, that he had witnessed the abuse.

This testimony helped prosecutors eventually charge Sandusky, who is now 72.

Paterno died due to complications from lung cancer on January 22, 2012 at the age of 85.

The Pennsylvania attorney general subsequently charged Curley and Schultz with perjury after they told a grand jury that McQueary did not tell them the severity of Sandusky’s offense. The perjury charge was dismissed, but Schultz, Curley and Graham B. Spanier, the former university president, still face criminal charges of failure to report suspected child abuse and endangering the welfare of children.

McQueary, testifying at a hearing one month after the scandal came to light in 2011, gave the first public account of his reporting the abuse to Paterno.

At the time he witnessed the abuse, McQueary, who was a backup quarterback for Penn State in the mid-1990s, was a graduate assistant.

The former assistant coach’s testimony in December 2011 helped demonstrate that Paterno, one of the most successful and well-liked coaches in college football history, was aware that Sandusky had abused a boy at least ten years before Sandusky’s behavior became publicly known. Court documents released this summer showed that Paterno heard such an allegation as early as 1976.

STATE COLLEGE, PA – JANUARY 24: Former Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary walks outside after paying respect to former Penn State Football coach Joe Paterno during a public viewing at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on the campus of Penn State on January 24, 2012 in State College, Pennsylvania. Paterno, who was 85, died due to complications from lung cancer on January 22, 2012. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Thierry Henry has officially started his new career as an international coach following his decision to become the new assistant coach of the Belgium national soccer team.

Thierry Henry Amazes Belgium Stars In First Day As Assistant Coach

The 39-year-old former Arsenal striker and France international was confirmed as manager Roberto Martinez’s new assistant on Friday afternoon.

Since retiring from the sport in 2014– having last played for the New York Red Bulls– Henry has worked as a pundit for Sky Sports, thus combining his television career with his UEFA coaching course.

He had previously been working as a coach at Arsenal, although he left the role earlier this year after manager Arsene Wenger expressed concerns over his broadcasting commitments.

Now, the former France national team superstar has already had an impact on some of Belgium’s top players.

Forward Michy Batshuayi, who joined Chelsea earlier this summer in a £30m deal, hailed the impact of Arsenal’s all-time leading goalscorer.

“Not sure I ever listened to my parents like this,” the 22-year-old tweeted, with the hashtag ‘#LearnFromTheBest.’

Belgium face Spain in an international friendly on Thursday before beginning their World Cup qualification campaign against Cyprus on Tuesday.

Henry played a strong role in the Red Devils’ training session, running drills and giving Belgian players, including Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku, several one-on-one tutorials.

Belgium are currently second in the FIFA world rankings.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Henry revealed he was unable to resist the offer from Martinez, a Spaniard who formerly managed Premier League club Everton.

“Being able to be part of Belgium and working with Roberto Martinez, who has been in the game a very long time, and learn under him is going to be key for me,” said Henry. “Let’s see how far we go but yes, eventually, if you work well and you go through the right process then maybe one day, why not (I’ll become a manager).

“You need to understand you can do it. The team has the quality to do it. We all know how hard it is to make a team be a team but that is the aim.”

Henry also plans to donate his salary from his role as Belgium’s assistant coach to charity, according to Sport/Foot Magazine. 

Sport/Foot Magazine reported on Wednesday that the Frenchman will hand over his annual salary for the role, thought to be around €50,000, ($55,800) to charity organizations in Belgium.

The magazine states Henry made the decision for two reasons: Firstly, he is already guaranteed a reported £4 million ($5.25 million) per year through his long-term contract with Sky Sports. Secondly, he is grateful for the opportunity to work with the team ranked No. 2 in the world despite having earned little coaching experience thus far.

After former Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach, NBA center and Arizona Wildcats great Sean Rooks died on Tuesday, dozens of members of the basketball community and more expressed their condolences via social media.

Arizona Wildcats, NBA, And More Pay Tribute To Late 76ers Assistant Sean Rooks

The Sixers were naturally one of the first to tweet out their condolences:

Rooks had interviewed earlier on Tuesday for a job with the New York Knicks. He had visited with Knicks president Phil Jackson, general manager Steve Mills and head coach Jeff Hornacek for a job on Hornacek’s staff. He had spent the past two years on Brett Brown’s staff in Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office stated stated Rooks had heart disease and passed of a heart attack, according to several reports. He was 46.

“It is with a profound deal of sadness that we mourn the sudden loss of a beloved son, father and friend, Sean Rooks. Words simply cannot express the heartbreak and shock our entire organization is feeling over this loss,” 76ers co-managing owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer said on behalf of the team.

Rooks was a coach since 2007. The 6’10” coach was previously a center and an All-Pac-10 player at the University of Arizona before he was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks as the 30th overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. Rooks was a starter for the Mavericks during his rookie season.

Several other notable NBA members also sent out messages, including Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and former fellow center Shaquille O’Neal, who was his teammate on the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996-1999.

Rooks retired in 2004 after playing for 12 seasons. He averaged 6.2 points in 749 games with seven different teams, including the Los Angeles Clippers and the New Orleans Hornets.

Rooks is survived by his two children, his son Kameron, a 7-footer who plays for the University of California, and his daughter Khayla, as well as his mother, Deborah Brown. 

PHOTO: 20 Nov 2000: A close up of Sean Rooks #45 of the Los Angeles Clippers watching the action during the game against the New Jersey Nets at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. The Nets defeated the Clippers 86-85.