Raiders Carl Nassib comes out as gay, first active NFL player to do so

Carl Nassib has enjoyed a solid NFL career to this point but just made history as the Las Vegas Raiders DE becomes the first active player to come out as gay.

Carl Nassib has spent five seasons in the NFL with three different teams, currently a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, since being drafted in the third round in 2016 out of Penn State. But on Monday in the heart of Pride Month, Nassib made league history as the first active player to come out as gay.

In a admirably simple Instagram post, Nassib said this had been something he’d “been wanting to do for a while” and finally felt comfortable in doing so now.

Moreover, the 28-year-old defensive end said that he was donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project, an organization that helps prevent suicide among LGBTQ+ youth nationwide. He has also added the link to information for The Trevor Project on his Instagram page now.

NFL fans certainly remember in 2014 when Michael Sam became the first openly gay player to be drafted after the then-St. Louis Rams selected him in the seventh round. However, Sam failed to make the Rams’ final roster cuts that season and, though he landed on the Cowboys practice squad, he didn’t see regular season action before going to the CFL and then retiring from football in 2015.

Nassib, of course, has seen plenty of regular season action, playing in 73 games over five seasons and totaling 20.5 sacks and 36 tackles for loss over that span. Last season with the Raiders, he racked up 2.5 sacks and five tackles for loss as a rotational player.

While he has proven to be a solid depth player on any NFL defensive line, Nassib’s decision to come out as gay can have a much bigger impact. His platform as an active player in the league should create great advocacy opportunities for him and, perhaps, could open the door for other players who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community to come out as well.