Raiders’ Carl Nassib announces he is gay: ‘I’ve been meaning to do this for awhile’
Tons of support poured in for Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib after he announced on Monday that he is gay, the NFL’s first active player to openly do so.
Nassib, 28, made the announcement on Instagram.
“What’s up people? I’m Carl Nassib. I’m at my house at Westchester, Pennsylvania. I want to take a quick moment to say I’m gay. I’ve been meaning to do this for awhile, but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest. I really have the best life. I have the best family, friends and job a guy could ask for. I’m pretty private person so hope you guys know that I am not doing this for attention. I just think representation and visibility are so important. I actually hope that one day videos like this or the whole coming process are just not necessary.
“But until then I am going to do my best and do my part to cultivate a culture that is accepting and compassionate and I’m going to start by donating 100,000 dollars to the Trevor Project. They are an incredible organization and they are the No. 1 suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth of America. They are truly doing incredibly things and I’m very excited to be a part of it and to help in anyway that I can, and I’m really pump to see what the future holds.”
Soon after, support came in for Nassib, including the Raiders, which posted, “Proud of you, Carl” with a black heart on Twitter.
Former Raiders star running back Bo Jackson applauded Nassib.
NFL commissioner Roger Goddell issued a statement.
“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.”
The Trevor Project is a suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ youth.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted that Nassib’s jersey is the top-seller on Fanatics for Monday and Tuesday.
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Nassib added on his Instagram post that “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.”
This story was originally published June 21, 2021 at 4:37 PM.
