Raiders: Carl Nassib coming out is historic, courageous, and powerful
By Alex Perl
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib made some history on Monday, becoming the NFL’s first active player to come out as gay.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib is making history, and not on the football field. Earlier today the former college All-American out of Penn St. announced he was gay via his Instagram account.
The news is huge considering Nassib is the first openly gay NFL player in history on an active roster. The first openly gay football player was former University of Missouri All-American Michael Sam, but Sam never played a down outside of preseason football.
For Nassib, the courage he has shown on Monday is astounding, and not only has he come out as gay, but he is also planning on helping others in a big way. Nassib also announced that he will be donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization for the youth within the LGBTQ community.
Nassib will continue to help turn the Raiders defense around
Nassib is coming into his second season with the Raiders, and the six-year veteran has recorded over 20 sacks. His most successful seasons were in 2018 and 2019 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which he recorded 12.5 sacks over two seasons.
The Raiders signed Nassib to a three-year, $25 million contract with the hopes he could replicate these numbers. Nassib struggled in his first year with the Raiders only recording two and a half sacks, but could possibly become more productive with another season under his belt and a new defensive coordinator in Gus Bradley.
Football aside, what Nassib did on Monday was historic, courageous, and powerful, as he is paving the way for others to be comfortable enough to come out. He has always been a leader on the field, and he will now assume a role as a leader off of it as well.