Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib became the first active player in NFL history to come out as gay on Monday.
The 28-year-old athlete made the announcement in a video posted on his Instagram account.
“I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that I’m gay,” he said. I’ve wanted to do this for quite a while, but I finally feel comfortable enough to share it. I really have the best life, the best family, the best friends and the best job that a guy could ask for.
“I’m a pretty private person, so I don’t do it for the attention. I just think it’s important for visibility and representation. I really hope that one day videos like this and the whole process of coming out no longer needed, but until that happens, I will do my best to foster a culture of acceptance and compassion, starting with a $100,000 donation to the Trevor Project. They are an incredible organization, the best for suicide prevention for young people in the LGBTQ community in the United States.
Nassib was a third-round pick (65e in total) of the Cleveland Browns in 2016. The Penn State University product is about to start his sixth season in the NFL and his second in the Raiders organization, he who also spent two years with the Browns and two more with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 73 career games, he had 20.5 quarterback sacks, one interception and three fumbles, in addition to recovering one.
A wave of unconditional love
If the main interested party was not necessarily seeking to attract attention with his statement, he still received an avalanche of messages of support and acceptance on social networks, his name being on everyone’s lips in the sports world. at the start of the evening.
“The NFL family is proud of Carl, who shared his reality today,” commissioner Roger Goodell said in a league statement. The representation deserves our attention. We share his hope that one day statements like the one he made will no longer be newsworthy as we fight for equal rights for the LGBTQ community.”
“It’s 2021. I give Carl a lot of credit,” Raiders owner Mark Davis told ESPN. It doesn’t change my opinion of him as a person and as a Raider.”
“We’re proud of you Carl,” the Nevada squad tweeted, along with a black heart, one of the team’s main colors.
