Raiders' Carl Nassib becomes first active NFL player to come out as gay

Jun 21 2021, 10:39 pm

History has been made in the National Football League.

In a video posted to Instagram, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib has come out as gay, making him the first openly gay active player in NFL history.

“I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” Nassib said. “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.”

 

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A post shared by Carl Nassib (@carlnassib)


Nassib, 28, has played five NFL seasons with the Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Cleveland Browns.

“I’m a pretty private person, so I hope you guys know that I’m not doing this for attention,” he added. “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.”

Nassib also announced that he’s donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project, which he says is the top suicide-prevention service for LGBTQ youth in the United States.

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