Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out as gay on Monday, making him the first active NFL player to do so. He announced his sexual orientation in a post on social media.
The 28-year-old, who has been active in the NFL scene for 5 years, said in a video on Instagram that he hoped his example would boost the visibility of other gay athletes.
“I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” Nassib said in the video.
“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,” he added.
“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.”
“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,” Nassib further said.
Nassib is also donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project, a non-profit group that works to prevent suicide among LGBTQ youth in the United States.
Several players have come out after retiring from the league, which is the most-watched sport in the country, but Nassib is the first who came out while still playing.
Michael Sam, a college athlete, was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in 2014, after coming out as gay but he never made it to the regular NFL season and was released after a few pre-season games.
The Raiders, the team Nassib represents in the league, praised him in a post on Twitter.
“Proud of you Carl,” the team wrote on its official Twitter account.
