Raiders Football Player Carl Nassib Comes Out As Gay; Makes History as First Active NFL Player

Carl Nassib has come out as gay.

The 28-year-old Las Vegas Raiders defensive end revealed the news in an Instagram video. He has made history as the first active NFL player to come out as gay.

“What’s up people, I’m Carl Nassib. I’m at my house in West Chester, Pennsylvania,” he introduced himself in a video intro of his latest post, before adding, “I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay.”

He added, “I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now but finally feel comfortable getting it off my chest. I really have the best life, the best family, friends and job a guy can ask for.”

Click inside to read more of Carl’s message…

Carl followed up his video intro with a message about coming out and how grateful he is for the support he has around him.

“Hey everyone, happy Pride Month. Right now, I am sitting in a moment of gratitude and relief. Sadly, I have agonized over this moment for the last 15 years. Only until recently, thanks to my family and friends, especially Connor, Cason, and Francis, did it seem possible for me to say publicly and proudly that I’m gay. I am also incredibly thankful for the NFL, my coaches, and fellow players for their support. I would not have been able to do this without them. From the jump, I was greeted with the utmost respect and acceptance.

“I truly love my life and cannot understand why I have been blessed with so much. I feel especially thankful to have had so much support when many who came before — and many even now — do not. I stand on the shoulders of giants, incredible people who paved the way for me to have this opportunity. I do not know all the history behind our courageous LGBTQ community, but I am eager to learn and to help continue the fight for equality and acceptance.

“As I mentioned in my video message, I am partnering with The Trevor Project. I was immediately drawn to The Trevor Project when I learned about their mission to provide suicide prevention services to the LGBTQ community. Young LGBTQ kids are over 5x more likely than their straight friends to consider suicide. For someone like me, who has been so lucky and cherishes every day, it brings me incredible sadness to think that our LGBTQ youth are at such an elevated risk for suicide. I feel an immense responsibility to help in any way I can – and you can too. Studies have shown that all it takes is one accepting adult to decrease the risk of an LGBTQ kid attempting suicide by 40%. Whether you’re a friend, a parent, a coach, or a teammate — you can be that person.

“Lastly, I hope everyone can understand that I am just one person. I am a lanky walk-on who is living his dream. I only have a small window to achieve greatness in my sport and I owe it to my team, coaches, and Raider fans to be completely locked in and at my best for the upcoming season. I’m a private person, so I’d ask the media to give me some space as I navigate this exciting time in my life. Please do not take it personally if I decline an interview or am unable to answer your questions. Thank you everyone for your support.

Happy Pride Month and Go Raiders.”

NFL player David Kopay in 1975 was the first major professional team-sport athlete to come out as gay.

After that, it would be decades before others did as well with Michael Sam and Ryan Russell in the most recent years. Here are all the other NFL stars who’ve come out as gay.