Carl Nassib has been receiving an outpouring of love after the Las Vegas Raiders defensive end announced Monday he was gay and made history as the first openly gay active NFL player.
Among the prominent voices who came out in support of the veteran NFL player was Michael Sam.
“Carl Nassib thank you for owning your truth and especially your donation to the @TrevorProject. LBGTQ people are more likely to commit suicide than heterosexuals. I hope and pray people will take note to this. Thank you again Carl and look forward to seeing you play on the field,” Sam tweeted.
Sam added: “To anyone young or old, black or white, straight or gay are being bullied by others please know this, I stand with you in your time of need and in your hour of triumph, I am your friend and your brother. Even though I may never see you, hug you, or even kiss you, I love you.”
Nassib made his announcement in the middle of Pride month while adding he was donating to The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQ+ youth.
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“I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” Nassib said. “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.
“I’m a pretty private person so I hope you guys know that I’m not doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important,” Nassib continued. “I actually hope that one day, videos like this and the whole coming out process are not necessary, but until then I will do my best and my part to cultivate a culture that’s accepting and compassionate.”
Sam was selected in the seventh round by the Rams and earned praise for being openly gay.
He played in the Canadian Football League, becoming the first publicly gay player to play there. He stepped away from football in 2015.
