Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out today, making him the NFL’s only openly gay player.
“I just want to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” Nassib said in a video he posted on his verified Instagram account. “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’ve got the best family, friends and job a guy could ask for. I’m a pretty private person, so I hope you guys know I’m not doing this for attention, but I think representation matters.”
Nassib also announced that he is donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization that focuses on suicide prevention programs for LGBT youth.
No openly gay player has ever played in a regular-season NFL game. Michael Sam came out as gay before the 2014 NFL draft, was drafted by the Rams and played for them in the preseason, but he did not make a regular season roster. A handful of other players have come out after their playing careers ended.
The 28-year-old Nassib was a third-round draft pick of the Browns in 2016 who has also played for the Buccaneers. He was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year at Penn State in 2015.