Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib announced on Monday that he is gay, becoming the first player on an active National Football League roster to come out. He also added he was donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that provides suicide and crisis prevention services to LGBTQ youth.
“I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” Nassib said in an Instagram post. “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 said in the post. “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.”
Soon after his announcment, the Raiders took to Twitter with a message for him. “Proud of you, Carl.”
Commissioner Roger Goodell also sent out a statement:
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28-year-old Nassib is entering his second year with the Raiders and his sixth season in the NFL. He was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year at Penn State in 2015.
