Carl Nassib Makes History As First Out Gay NFL Player
Image: Carl Nassib. Image: Instagram
Las Vegas Raiders and NFL player Carl Nassib on Monday came out on social media and became the first Out gay active player in the history of NFL.
Making the announcement via Instagram, the 28 year old player said in a video post “I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay.”
View this post on Instagram
“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.”
Donation To Trevor Project
Kicking off his commitment toward cultivating such a culture, Nassib also announced that he will be making a $100, 000 donation to The Trevor Project- an organisation which provides crucial crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth under the age of 25.
In a written statement Nassib went on to say that he was “greeted with the utmost respect and acceptance” from the NFL, his coaches and fellow players and was thankful for their support. “I would not have been able to do this without them.”
Nassib began playing college football at Penn State before being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2016. He has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before being drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2019. He is now poised to become the first Out gay player to play in an NFL regular-season game.
‘NFL Is Proud Of Carl’
His announcement has so far been received with applause by those within the NFL code with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell saying in a statement: “The NFL family is proud of Carl for courageously sharing his truth today. Representation matters. We share his hope that someday soon statements like his will no longer newsworthy as we march toward full equality for the LGBTQ+ community. We wish Carl the best of luck this coming season.”
“It’s 2021. All the more power to Carl,” Raiders owner Mark Davis told ESPN. “It doesn’t change my opinion of him as a person or as a Raider.”
It took me until I was in my late 60s to come out. Such is the power of the closet. And I know what it’s like to have the eyes of the world on you when you do finally speak your truth.
Bravo, Carl Nassib. You have tackled a great deal today.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) June 22, 2021
Only a handful of N.F.L. players have previously come out as gay, and all following the ending of their professional careers. In 1975, three years after he had retired David Kopay became the first pro football player to publicly come out. It then took till 1992 for former Giants player Roy Simmons to become the second former player to publicly come out.
