The Las Vegas Raiders defensive end says in his Instagram post that he has 'agonized' for the last 15 years before feeling comfortable enough to 'say publicly and proudly that I'm gay.'
- Jun 22, 2021
AceShowbiz - NFL star Carl Nassib is making use of Pride Month to come clean about his sexuality. The Las Vegas Raiders player announced on Monday, June 21 that he is gay after agonizing over it "for the last 15 years," making history as the first active player who is openly gay.
Taking to his Instagram page, Carl uploaded a video in which he first greeted his fans and followers, "What's up people?" He then casually dropped the news, "I'm at my house here in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I just want 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."
Grateful for the support of people around him, the 28-year-old hunk added, "I really have the best life, I've got the best family, friends and job a guy could ask for." On why he decided to come out of the closet, he stated, "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," he explained. "I actually hope that like one day, 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, that's compassionate and I'm going to start by donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project."
Carl also included a written statement in the post, in which he specifically mentioned his friends, family, the NFL, his team coaches and fellow players in his gratitude. "I would not have been able to do this without them. From the jump, I was greeted with the utmost respect and acceptance," he said.
He then elaborated on his work with The Trevor Project, explaining that he's drawn to its mission "to provide suicide prevention services for the LGBTQ community." He added, "They're an incredible organization, they're the No. 1 suicide-prevention service for LGBTQ youth in America. And they're truly doing incredible things. And I'm very excited to be a part of it, help in any way that I can and I'm really pumped to see what the future holds."
Responding to Carl's coming out announcement, his team reposted his statement on social media and saluted him, "Proud of you, @carlnassib." NFL commissioner Roger Goodell echoed the sentiment, saying the league "is proud of Carl for courageously sharing his truth today."
"Representation matters," Roger continued. "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."
