Raiders’ Carl Nassib Comes Out as Gay
Credit: Unsplash
Nassib is the first openly gay player in the NFL.
Last night, Carl Nassib, defensive lineman of the Las Vegas Raiders, made an important announcement on his personal Instagram page, one that he’s been wanting to make for a long while.
“What’s up people,” Nassib posted on Instagram. “I’m at my house in West Chester Pennsylvania. I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now but finally feel comfortable getting it off my chest. I really have the best life, the best family, friends and job a guy can ask for.
“I’m a pretty private person so I hope you guys know that I’m not doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important. I actually hope that one day, videos like this and the whole coming out process are not necessary, but until then I will do my best and my part to cultivate a culture that’s accepting and compassionate and I’m going to start by donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project. They’re an incredible organization, they’re the number one suicide-prevention service for LGBTQ youth in America and they’re truly doing incredible things. I’m very excited to be a part of it and help in any way that I can and I’m really pumped to see what the future holds.”
While some NFL players have come out as gay after retiring from the sport, Nassib has set a milestone as the first openly gay player actively playing in the NFL. His announcement has been met with an outpouring of support from his teammates, his fans, and even the commissioner of the NFL himself, Roger Goodell.
“The NFL family is proud of Carl for courageously sharing his truth today,” Goodell told Outsports. “Representation matters. We share his hope that someday soon statements like his will no longer be newsworthy as we march toward full equality for the LGBTQ+ community. We wish Carl the best of luck this coming season.”
