Carl Nassib Of Las Vegas Raiders First Active NFL Player To Come Out As Gay

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Carl Nassib, defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders, is the first active NFL player to come out as gay, reported News 3 Las Vegas.

Nassib is going into his sixth season in the NFL, this is his second with the Raiders.

He announced the news on Instagram. In the video he stated:

"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. I really have the best life. I got the best family, friends and job a guy can ask for. I’m a pretty private person, so I hope you guys know that I’m really not doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important."

Nassib said that he hopes there won't be a necessity for videos likes his. In support of LGBTQ+ youth, Nassib said he is donating $100,000 to the Trevor project, a suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ youth.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in 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."

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