Carl Nassib, who broke down barriers as the first openly gay player to play in an NFL regular-season game, is riding off into the sunset.
Veteran defensive end Carl Nassib has announced he’s retiring from the NFL after seven seasons.
“This would have been my 23rd football season,” he told People’s Natasha Dye. “I’ve been playing football since I was eight years old, and I’m really excited to move on to the next chapter of my life.”
The 30-year-old was a third-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2016 who would go on to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders.
He made himself a household name in 2021 when he became the first publicly out active player in the NFL. He told Dye he intends to work with the league in off-field endeavors.
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“I think that I can provide a very rare and specific view of how life is for an out gay player, and I think that there are some amazing opportunities that I can also learn,” he said.
Nassib made 99 appearances in the NFL, last playing for the Buccaneers in 2022. He appeared in 13 games and recording 3.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.
He finishes his career with 25.5 sacks and 187 tackles.
