Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib became the first active player in NFL history to announce that he is gay. The 28-year-old made the announcement Monday in an Instagram video.
Nassib, a former 2016 third-rounder out of Penn State, appeared in 14 games with the Raiders last season and recorded two sacks. He joined Las Vegas last year on a three-year, $25 million contract after previously spending time with the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
— Lindsay Jones (@bylindsayhjones) June 21, 2021
Nassib’s announcement comes seven years after Missouri’s Michael Sam made headlines by coming out. But Sam, a former seventh round draft pick by the St. Louis Rams, ultimately did not make the team’s roster and did not appear in an NFL game.
“What’s up people,” Nassib said. “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 finally feel comfortable getting it off my chest.”
Nassib, whose coming out falls during pride month, said he is normally a private person, adding he doesn’t hope people think he’s “doing this for attention.” Instead, he said he wanted to raise awareness and made a $100,000 donation to the Trevor Project.
“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 and I’m going to start by donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project,” Nassib said. “They’re an incredible organization, they’re the number one suicide-prevention service for LGBTQ youth in America.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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