Carl Nassib #94 of the Las Vegas Raiders commemorates a 31-26 win over the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on November 08, 2020 in Inglewood, California.
Harry How | Getty Images
Las Vegas Raiders protective lineman Carl Nassib revealed on Monday that he is gay, ending up being the very first gamer on an active National Football League lineup to come out.Â
“I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” Nassib stated in an Instagram post. “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.”
Nassib likewise revealed he is contributing $100,000 to The Trevor Project, a not-for-profit that offers suicide and crisis avoidance services to LGBTQ youth.
“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,” Nassib stated in the post. “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 included that he had actually struggled for the past 15 years about whether to openly come out, which just just recently he felt it was possible to make the statement.
Nassib, 28, is entering his 2nd year with the Raiders and his 6th season in the NFL. He was called the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year at Penn State in 2015.
“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 be newsworthy as we march toward full equality for the LGBTQ+ community. We wish Carl the best of luck this coming season,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated in a declaration.
In 2014, Michael Sam ended up being the very first freely gay gamer to be chosen in the NFL draft when the St. Louis Rams chose him in the seventh round. Sam was cut right before the routine season began.
Jason Collins, who is now retired, ended up being the very first active freely gay NBA gamer in 2013. Two weeks previously that year, WNBA’s Brittney Griner came out as lesbian.
