Former College Footballer Jake Eldridge Hospitalized Due to Stress from Hiding His Gay Sexuality

Jake Eldridge, a 21-year-old former Division I college football player, has shared that the intense stress of hiding his gay sexuality throughout his athletic career culminated in a three-day hospitalization for ulcerative colitis, an autoimmune condition triggered by stress. Speaking to People magazine on January 27, 2026, Eldridge detailed how his journey in American football, beginning after his family moved from California to Texas, forced him to prioritize the sport over his personal identity.

Eldridge specialized as a long snapper, attending elite training camps across the United States and securing a spot at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, a renowned pathway to top college programs. He knew he was gay from a young age but described football as overshadowing everything else: “football became the thing that kind of pushed everything else aside.” After graduating high school a semester early, he committed to Rutgers University in the Big Ten Conference as a freshman, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

However, the environment at Rutgers intensified his internal conflict. Eldridge had come out to his supportive parents while at IMG Academy, but within the team, he remained closeted amid growing speculation about his sexuality. “My roommate would come home and tell me people were asking if I was gay. My biggest fear wasn’t just people knowing – it was people knowing before I was ready,” he recounted. He feared bullying, loss of his scholarship, or being sidelined from the team if his identity became public.

The pressures of Division I football left little room for self-care, exacerbating his stress. Near the end of his freshman season in November 2025, Eldridge was hospitalized for three days with ulcerative colitis, which doctors linked to stress as a likely trigger. “It was the stress of being closeted. Going in every day and faking who I am for years on end. I’d been saying for years, ‘This is making me sick.’ And then my body finally proved it,” Eldridge explained.

Offered the choice to transfer, medically retire while retaining his scholarship, or continue, Eldridge opted to step away without hesitation. He relocated to New York City and publicly came out as gay on National Coming Out Day in 2024. Now reflecting on his experience, Eldridge hopes to inspire other gay athletes and members of the LGBTQ+ community in sports to prioritize their mental and physical well-being and come out on their own terms. His story underscores the health impacts of concealing one's sexual orientation in high-pressure athletic environments, particularly for gay men in American football, and highlights the need for supportive spaces within college sports. Coverage across LGBTQ+ media outlets like Attitude, PinkNews, and Gay Express emphasizes the broader implications for transgender people and other LGBTQ+ individuals navigating similar pressures in sports.