homecoming

Carl Nassib will return to the NFL Draft this weekend

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Eight years ago, the Cleveland Browns selected Carl Nassib in the third round of the NFL Draft. Now this weekend, Nassib will be back on the draft stage, representing the Browns during the league’s signature offseason event.

Nassib will announce Cleveland’s second round pick Friday night, along with Peggy Rajski from The Trevor Project. The Browns own the 22nd selection in the Round 2, which is the 54th pick overall.

The honor speaks volumes about the NFL’s commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion, and support of The Trevor Project, which provides resources to struggling LGBTQ+ youth. Nassib publicly came out as gay in 2021, becoming the first out active player in league history. He donated $100,000 to The Trevor Project when he came out, and the NFL has matched on an annual basis since then.

Nassib, 31, played seven seasons in the NFL before announcing his retirement last year. The defensive end was an effective pass-rusher, recording 25.5 sacks over his career. Arguably his most memorable sack came towards the end of the 2022 season, when he helped seal an epic Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ win on Monday Night Football. Tom Brady’s Bucs were fighting for a playoff spot, and the victory put them in firm control of the NFC South.

For decades, there was a homophobic belief in sports circles that teams couldn’t win with out gay players. Naysayers claimed they would cause too much rancor in the locker room, and attract a media circus. But Nassib put that misguided notion to rest… for good. His teams made the playoffs in each of the two years after he came out.

For all of the handwringing about Nassib creating a distraction, it was one of his coaches, Jon Gruden, who ignited a media controversy. Gruden resigned from the Raiders in October 2021 following the revelation of homophobic emails he sent to colleagues over the years.

Nassib handled the situation with predictable aplomb. The Raiders rallied under an interim head coach and made the playoffs for the first time in five years.

Since retirement, Nassib has remained heavily involved with the NFL. The league hosted him for the Super Bowl in Vegas, where he spoke at Night of Pride, an evening dedicated to inclusion.

One of Nassib’s fellow panelists was Kevin Maxen, an out strength coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Maxen told Queerty he consulted with Nassib before coming out, ultimately leading him to adopt what he calls the “Bernie Mac mentality.”

“F’ em!”

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When gay athletes come out, they often talk about the importance of visibility. They desire to be the role models they lacked.

It’s apparent that Nassib has achieved that goal. During Super Bowl week, he had a heartwarming conversation with a gay NFL fan in line for Chipitole. The man told Nassib he watched his coming out video before coming out to his mom the previous day.

“He goes, ‘I came out to my mom yesterday.’ I said, ‘Man, that’s great! Congratulations!’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, I watched your video before I did it.’ And I was like, ‘Are you about to make me cry in this Chipotle right now?,'” said Nassib. “He was great. That was probably, like, the funniest place to have someone tell you a really meaningful story.”

Ahead of this year’s NFL Draft, there’s already one out gay player who’s looking to follow Nassib’s path. Cornerback Byron Perkins, who became the first out gay football player at an HBCU school, is hoping to be selected.

There have been 10 out gay or bi players taken in the NFL Draft, including Michael Sam, the first out player to ever be drafted. Two of those players, Washington running back Ray McDonald (1967) and Kwame Harris (2003) were selected in the first round. They both came out following their retirements.

Nassib, of course, is part of that distinguished group. He thanked the NFL for the opportunity to appear at this year’s draft.

“Thank you so much to the NFL, to the Browns and their continued support of me and LGBTQ youth,” he said.

Nassib lived his NFL dream as his true self; and on Friday night, he’ll show other young queer football players it’s possible for them to do the same.

Related:

Carl Nassib shares the heartwarming conversation he had with a gay NFL fan in line at Chipotle

The first active out gay player in NFL history says the man told him his announcement inspired him to come out.

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