Raiders Carl Nassib Becomes First Openly Gay NFL Player
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib has made history by becoming the first openly gay active NFL player.
Nassib made the announcement of being gay on his personal Instagram page. During the process, he made history by becoming the first openly active gay NFL player.
In the same announcement, Nassib announced that he will be donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project, a national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and questioning youth community.
Nassib noted that this was in no way drawing attention to himself and rather he’s more of a “private person” and wanted to “do this for a while.”
"I really have the best life,” Nassib said via his Instagram. “I got the best family, friends and job a guy could ask for.
"I actually hope one day that videos like this and the whole coming-out process are just not necessary, but until then I'm going to do my best and do my part to cultivate a culture that's accepting and compassionate."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement of support for Nassib:
"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."
It is quite fitting that a Raider was the first active NFL player to come as openly gay.
In the past, the Raiders have broken the color barrier with the selection of Tennessee State’s Eldridge Dickey in the first round of the 1968 NFL Draft. Dickey became the first black quarterback to be drafted in the first round in pro football history.
The Raiders also broke the color barrier with the hiring of Art Shell as head coach in 1989. Shell became the first black NFL coach in the modern era.
Adding to the list of Raider firsts is becoming the first franchise in the NFL for an active openly gay NFL player to call home.
Perhaps this is the beginning of normalizing openly gay players in the NFL.
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