Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib made history on Monday evening, coming out as the first active NFL player to come out as gay. On his personal Instagram page, Nassib posted a message stating that he was coming out.
“Hey everyone, happy Pride Month.” Nassib wrote. “Right now, I am sitting in a moment of gratitude and relief. Sadly, I have agonized over this moment for the last 15 years. Only until recently, thanks to my family and friends, especially Connor, Cason, and Francis, did it seem possible for me to say publicly and proudly that I’m gay. I am also incredibly thankful for the NFL, my coaches, and fellow players for their support. I would not have been able to do this without them. From the jump, I was greeted with the utmost respect and attendance.”
Not did Nassib show his bravery with this announcement, he paid it forward with a donation to the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organzation for LGTBQ youth.
The Raiders showed Nassib’s announcement some love on Twitter, saying that they were proud of him and sharing his comments from Instagram.
Proud of you, Carl 🖤 pic.twitter.com/R9aJxYFefW
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) June 21, 2021
Nassib’s moment creates a notable, important landmark in NFL history. There have been other players to come out, perhaps most famously former University of Missouri and St. Louis Rams defensive lineman Michael Sam, but Nassib is the first while being a member of a team’s active roster. (Unless the Raiders cut him for some odd reason, which would result in a heavy dead cap penalty.)
Nassib was previously a star on HBO’s Hard Knocks series, cracking funny lines as a rambunctious member of Hue Jackson’s woeful Browns teams, but now he’s creating a legacy that will expand much further. Hopefully, this is a sign that football culture is becoming more accepting of their gay and nonbinary teammates moving forward.
