There has never been an active public gay player in NFL history, although several players have dropped out after retirement; defensive end Nasib signed a three-year $ 25 million deal with the Raiders in March 2020.
Las Vegas Raiders defender Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player to be gay.
“I just wanted to say for a moment that I am gay,” Nasib said.
“I’ve been going to do this for a long time, but I finally feel comfortable lifting it off my chest. I really have the best life, the best family, friends and job a guy could dream of.
“I’m a pretty private person, so I hope you guys know that I’m not doing this for the sake of attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important.
“I really hope that one day these videos and the entire exit process will not be needed, but until then I will do everything in my power and on my part to develop a culture of acceptance and compassion.”
Nasib signed a three-year, $ 25 million deal with the Raiders in March 2020.
There has never been an active, publicly open gay player in NFL history, although several players have dropped out of the game after retiring.
Nasib has partnered with The Trevor Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBT youth under the age of 25. He made an initial donation of $ 100,000.
Selected by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft, Nasib spent two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before landing in Las Vegas with the Raiders.
