When Carl Nassib came out as gay in June, he wasn’t expecting so many people to pay attention.
The Raiders’ defensive end is the only openly gay player in the NFL and will presumably become the first to play in a regular-season game in September. But after Nassib posted his sort video on social media, he received widespread support — including from President Joe Biden.
“I was definitely surprised by the big reaction. It was incredible. I thought nobody would care,” Nassib said in a Friday press conference. “But, it was just such a good feeling to have all the support. I was glad to have all the support. I was glad to do my part to help bring visibility and representation to my community.”
Nassib said that while he’s been out to close friends and family for years, very few around the league knew prior to his announcement. He did give Las Vegas’ coaching staff a heads up so that the group had time to digest the information and could help him in the process.
Since posting his video, Nassib said the reaction from his teammates has been great.
“I knew it was going to be good. I had zero stress about that, absolutely no worries about it,” Nassib said. “We’ve got a great locker room, we’ve got great teammates. I’ve been met with nothing but love and support. It’s been incredible. Football players get a bad rap, but we’re humble, hard-working, accepting people. And this was a great example of that.”
Nassib gave the impression that away from the team facility, his life hasn’t changed all that much. But he added, “It’s been good to not have to lie when I come into work every day.”
“First couple days [of training camp], being out and being the only out player, my body felt like jello. You know what I mean? I was very anxious,” Nassib said. “But I wanted to get this [press conference] over with. I wanted to move on. I wanted to just have a lot of clarity. I feel better today — I feel better than I did yesterday, and the day before that. So I’m looking forward to the future.”