Las Vegas Raiders Lineman Carl Nassib Makes History: ‘…I’m Gay’
In a move that would not normally grab much attention in the headlines in 2021, Las Vegas Raiders' lineman Carl Nassib announced via a video on his Instagram account Monday evening that he is gay.
"I'm Carl Nassib. I'm at my house here in Westchester, 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 I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest."
NFL players have come out previously, but Nassib is now the first openly gay active player in the league.
Defensive lineman, Michael Sam, made history when he announced that he was gay prior to being chosen in the 2014 draft. Sam was later cut and never played a regular season game.
Nassib's announcement comes during the annual Pride Month and the athlete committed to a $100,000 donation to The Trevor Project, which works with LGBTQ+ youth, focusing on suicide prevention.
The Las Vegas Raiders showed their support for Nassib's coming out via Twitter, stating: "Proud of you, Carl."