PHILADELPHIA (CBS/AP) — Carl Nassib, a football player from West Chester and former Penn State Nittany Lion, just made history becoming the first active NFL player to come out as gay. Nassib shared a coming out video on his Instagram page.
“I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest,” Nassib said.
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Nassib played at Malvern Prep before heading to Penn State.
He currently plays for the Las Vegas Raiders.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell applauded Nassib’s courage in a statement.
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“The NFL family is proud of Carl for courageously sharing his truth today,” Goodell said. “Representation matters. We share his hope that someday soon statements like his will no longer be newsworthy as we march toward full equality for the LGBTQ+ community. We wish Carl the best of luck this coming season.”
From Commissioner Goodell: pic.twitter.com/MbgGt6AuGs
— NFL345 (@NFL345) June 21, 2021
As part of his coming out video, Nassib also announced he’s donating $100,000 to a group that helps LGBTQ youth with suicide prevention.
More than a dozen NFL players have come out as gay after their careers were over.
Former University of Missouri defensive star Michael Sam was the first openly gay football player ever selected in the NFL draft, going in the seventh round to the then-St. Louis Rams in 2014. But he never made the final roster and retired in 2015 having never played in an NFL regular-season game.
Nassib is a sixth-year pro who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2016 in the third round (65th overall) out of Penn State. He played two seasons for the Browns and two for Tampa Bay before joining the Raiders in 2020. He has 20 1/2 sacks in 73 career games.
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(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
