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Las Vegas Raiders football player Carl Nassib came out as gay yesterday via a video he posted to his Instagram account. This makes him the first active NFL player to come out.
Nassib’s video began with him saying: “I’m at my house here 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 enough to get it off my chest. I really have the best life, I’ve got 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 really not doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important.
“I actually hope that like one day, videos like this and the whole coming out process are not necessary, but until then I am gonna do my best and do my part to cultivate a culture that’s accepting that’s compassionate.”
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He also announced that he was making a $100,000 donation to the Trevor Project, which works to support LGBTQ youth and prevent suicide.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib comes out
He also posted a statement, saying, ““Hey everyone, happy Pride Month. 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.”
He went on to say he was looking forward to learning more about LGBTQ history, and acknowledged he stands “on the shoulders of giants, incredible people, who have paved the way for me to have this opportunity.”
He also talked about why he was donating to the Trevor Project.
“Young LGBTQ kids are 5x more likely than their straight friends to consider suicide.
“I feel an immense responsibility to help in any way I can – and you can too. Studies have shown that all it takes is one accepting adult to decrease the risk of an LGBTQ kid attempting suicide by 40%. Whether you’re a friend, a parent, a coach, or a teammate – you can be that person.”
“I hope everyone can understand that I am just one person,” Nassib concluded. “I am a lanky walk-on who is living his dream. I owe it to my team, coaches and Raider fans to be completely locked in and at my best for the upcoming season. Thank you everyone for your support. Happy Pride Month and Go Raiders.”
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Nassib’s announcement made breaking news around the world. He is not the first NFL player to come out, but he is the first to do so as an active player with his team. Around half a dozen have come out after their playing careers were over, such as David Kopay and Roy Simmons.
Meanwhile, the University of Missouri and St. Louis Rams defensive lineman Michael Sam famously came out in 2014, and was drafted, but never made a roster (which is not to take anything away from the significance of Sam’s own coming out or its impact).
Nassib is 28. He grew up in Malvern, Pennsylvania. The son of Mary and Gilbert Nassib, he has four siblings: two brothers and two sisters. One older brother, Ryan, was a backup quarterback for the New York Giants back in 2014 and 2015.
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Nassib, who is 2meters tall, played college football at Penn State and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2020, he signed a three-year, $25 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders, for whom he plays defensive end.
His public profile was boosted by his appearances on the HBO reality series, Hard Knocks. In particular, he won fans for a scene in which he was seen offering financial advice to his teammates.
It is not known whether he is single, dating or in a relationship (sorry!).
Nassib’s announcement has prompted thousands of reactions on social media. Predictably, some have trotted out the “Why does he have to make an announcement?!?” line. To that, we’d recommend they’d actually carefully read Nassib’s words and ponder the importance of representation instead of just reacting to the headline.
Nassib’s team, the Raiders, were among the first to react, re-posting his words with a caption simply saying: “Proud of you, Carl.”
Proud of you, Carl 🖤 pic.twitter.com/R9aJxYFefW
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) June 21, 2021
Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, said in a statement, ““The NFL family is proud of Carl for courageously sharing his truth today. Representation matters.”
Related: US Olympic figure skater Jason Brown comes out as gay in Pride Month message
Raiders owner Mark Davis told ESPN, “It’s 2021. All the more power to Carl. It doesn’t change my opinion of him as a person or as a Raider.”
Good for you Carl.
Glad you feel comfortable enough to share and hopefully someday these types of announcements will no longer be considered breaking news. https://t.co/eevr8cgRay
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) June 22, 2021
Fellow footballer Ryan Russell came out as bisexual in 2019. A free agent, he has not been drafted since. He tweeted, “Congratulations to Carl Nassib! Ball out this season brother! Happy #Pride”
Russell later tweeted a reminder that there are LGBTQ athletes in every sport, but the big thing changing is the increasing love and support they are receiving.
The @NFL is not changing; LGBTQ+ athletes are a part of every sport and always have been. The only thing changing is the amount of love, acceptance, and comfortability we feel every day just being ourselves and being supported by our teammates, coaches, and the game’s fans.
— R.K. Russell (@RKRelentless) June 21, 2021
Billie Jean King tweeted: “The ability to live an authentic life is so important. Sending love and support to Carl Nassib of the @Raiders, who has bravely made history as the 1st active NFL player to come out. He has also donated $100K to @TrevorProject. Representation and visibility matter! 🏳️🌈”
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
Congrats to Carl Nassib on being be the first active NFL player to come out as gay! 10 yrs ago I was the first man to be actively gay at the Super Bowl. 🌈🏈 pic.twitter.com/eMQEkdqBZz
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) June 22, 2021
Harvey Fierstein tweeted, “I’m crying with happiness for what this will mean for our youth.”
Legendary former player Warren Moon congratulated Carl and said he’d known several gay players who never felt able to come out.
Really proud of Carl Nassib. The first active football player to ever do so. I played with several guys who never were comfortable enough to go public. They were great teammates, & obviously very talented.
— Warren Moon (@WMoon1) June 22, 2021
Carl Nassib’s announcement on his IG page included this note which was particularly compelling, especially for those who may meet this news with “what’s the big deal/why does it matter?” pic.twitter.com/o1lQLoSqSa
— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) June 21, 2021
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cuteguy
This man is a true American hero. He will go down in history as an icon. He doesn’t realize how many lives he has just saved. Amazing. I’m in awe.
winemaker
What a handsome guy. Kind of reminds me of Colton Underwood: both are football players and both are handsome.
amanwithanedge
“Kind of reminds me of Colton Underwood”
NO WAY IN HELL. CARL NASSIB ALL THE WAY.
James Hart
I’ve met Carl. He’s a great guy. By the way, he’s a devout Catholic and a conservative Republican.
Jake123
Wow good for him!! This is honestly a pretty big deal, we are seeing more and more sportsmen come out and share their stories and sports fans most importantly accept them. A very happy story!!
Kangol2
Excellent news. Carl Nassib deserves tremendous praise for his courage, and like Michael Sam and Ryan Russell, extra praise for coming out while still playing or seeking to play in the NFL. He has now created a model for others to follow, and some, like Sam, will come out before they’re drafted, while others now in the league may feel comfortable coming out while still playing, like Nassib. It also sends a very positive message to younger football players and athletes in every sport, especially team sports, that being gay is OK. Wonderful news for Pride Month.
Fahd
He’s a warm, engaging person, capable of the aggression required of an NFL defensive lineman, very cute, 6’7″ and 275 lbs. Must be taken. Oh well.
I’m happy he took this step – He’ll live on in history- I can’t wait for the football season to start. (I am going to look if ESPN has already covered the story.) I think he’s going to be the focus of quite a bit of attention at the start of the season. He’s a role model for us all, but especially younger athletes, and I hope he goes on to become an inspirational celebrity.
PsychOpine
And that folks is how it’s done! Class act!
MissTerri
Now that is Real Man!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mister P
I cried when he said he was donating 100,000.00 to the Trevor Project. It’s refreshing for him to make it not all about him.
Cam
If anybody wants to buy his jersey
https: //www .nflshop. com/?query=Carl%20Nassib&_ref=p-DLP:m-TYPEAHEAD:i-r-0c-0:po-0
Donston
The trolls and bums don’t know when to take off. No matter the news they gotta throw in some hateful shade, gotta ruin every damn thing (which of course is their intention). Anyways, congrats to Carl.
Cam
Congratulations to him!!! Well done!
LumpyPillows
A great role model. I hope they do not hurt him.
WSnyder
Like Neil Armstrong on the moon, this is a huge leap forward for the LGBTQ+ Community.
It is significant because it has meaning. It breaks through a huge barrier and smashes down a stigmatism about ‘masculinity’. Like Jackie Robinson [or for those who know, Moses Walker] it will be a game changer in the perception of who plays in Sports. We’ve known there are gay men in the NFL as so many have come out after their careers were over. Queer Kids will now come to know that they CAN pursue their dreams as an Athlete despite being Gay. It will become OK to be both. They will not have to dive into a closet before going to college as a collegiate football player with dreams of being in the NFL. And it will echo through the entire Sports World around the Globe. We already know of LGBTQ+ people in many other sports spanning decades, but THIS was THE major hurdle, the most difficult goal line to cross [pardon the pun].
This. Changes. Everything.
Thank You Carl. For the futures of Kids and Athletes, Everywhere.
James Hart
It is a huge step. He’s a really great guy, and he’s a devout Catholic and conservative Republican.
jsmu
@James Hart Do stop the cut-and-paste, sweetie pie!
robbkvasnak
Wow! He is not only good looking but he has a big heart and he cares about others. Great guy! He has made me very happy even though I am not a foot ball person. He is setting a great example for others – not only in foot ball.
ondaboat0069
Jerry Smith, Washington Redskins, was out in the early 80’s. He died of AIDS in 1986
ShiningSex
Was he out?
I was wondering if there was someone before him. It’s still a good thing.
WSnyder
Jerry ended his career with the Redskins in the late ’70’s and only came out then to a small group of family and friends. He formally came out in ’86 before he died of AIDs months later.
ShiningSex
Is he the first? Either way, good for him! Plus he’s donating to a good cause. More people should be so kind.
Donston
He is the first to be “out” while playing.
BoomerMyles
“He was a lineman for the county…”
I know, different lineman.
What a great guy with a big heart.
I challenge out celebrities and other gay multi-millionnaires to donate $94,000 to the Trevor Project in solidarity with Carl Nassib (94 is his jersey number).
Fahd
As reported by ESPN Sportcenter, the NFL has matched his donation to the Trevor project and NFL.com states that his is the top selling jersey in the last 24 hours.
Inspector 57
What great pieces of news! Thanks for sharing them here, Fahd!
ShowMeGuy
I’m from Columbia, Missouri and we still love Michael Sam.
And now, people gonna hate me. I don’t care.
People are screaming that Michael Sam is to thank for paving the way and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, Michael Sam will get the credit as being the first OUT football player drafted by the NFL. However, with all the backlash, rumors of reality shows, the endless parade of talk show interviews and the circus which followed Michael Sam everywhere he went….and he ate it up…..the way wasn’t paved for the first employed NFL player who is gay to come out. THAT road was blasted to bits with shrapnel….and probably extended the length of time it has taken for a working NFL player to finally come out of their locker.
indulged
I’m going to counterclaim here that yes, there is due acknowledgment here. The media circus of Sam, who was still drafting, is what facilitated a far less splashy media frenzy here.
Sam broke that gays-aren’t-in-macho-pro sports denial and did so to professional consequence.
I do suspect the coming out publicly would have happened without the prior—but it now arrives with considerably less hoop-la and, hopefully, consequence.
Cam
@ShowMeGuy
Troll, you aren’t fooling anybody with this screename. You were on the post about an interracial couple crying about how white people are always picked on and what victims white people are, and here you are trying to use a great article about somebody coming out to slam Michael Sam.
You aren’t fooling anybody.
MissTerri
Poor Old Senile Cam!!!!!!!!!
Essie
I haven’t been following sports much lately but, when did the Raiders move to Las Vegas!! They do get around though.
Oh, congrats Carl. Tons of love to you.
jerkinns
His coming out definitely will have a great positive impact to young gay men for sure!
I just don’t get the emphasis and arguments around being “the first”. It’s not a popularity contest or competition on which gay guy does something first! It distracts from the point of him coming out and its implications.
jsmu
The ‘first’ bit is all about the amazing shallowness of the public (which is amply demonstrated by most of the comments here, several of which are concerned only with Nassib’s physical appearance) and, for the person coming out, about publicity and $$$$$$$$.
trojanboy
Oh shit. Im in love.
GayEGO
Congratulations Carl!
IAmUp4It
Happy Pride!
Invader7
Those eyes and legs.. More importantly he’s helping those in need of positive INSPIRATION… Plus the man is 2 meters tall (6 ‘ 5″ )… And his significant $$$ donation to the Trevor Project KICKS ASS !!! We need way MORE people like Carl.. He’s a study in contradictions : GAY, Roman Catholic and republican & an athlete… A New Fan in the USA !!!
Rayisgay
What a class act and role model! Congrats Carl! I’ll be wearing your jersey!
FridM
Two strikes, Catholic and Republican. He might as well be straight. Maybe the only way to wake up those two blind entities is to “infiltrate.”