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| Courtesy of Las Vegas Raiders |
"What's up, people?" Nassib said. "I just want 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 is now the first active player in the NFL to come out as gay.
"I'm a pretty private person so I hope you guys know that I'm really not doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important. I actually hope that like one day, videos like this and the whole coming-out process are just not necessary. But until then, I'm going to do my best and do my part to cultivate a culture that's accepting, that's compassionate and I'm going to start by donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project."
The Trevor Project is a nonprofit crisis intervention organization, and provides a 24/7 suicide hotline for youth in the LGBTQ+ community. The NFL announced they are going to match Nassib's donation to the organization.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement following Nassib's announcement, celebrating the occasion for Nassib and the league.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell weighs in on #Raiders DE Carl Nassib’s “courageous” coming out. pic.twitter.com/4k73drunql
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 21, 2021
Nassib's declaration was so courageously laidback, for the first active player in the league to come out. Despite the Commissioner's glowing sentiments, the NFL has fallen guilty of othering the LGBTQ+ community in the past, and cold-shouldering players before Nassib.
In 2014, Michael Sam came out as gay in the buildup to the NFL Draft. Sam was an All-American pass rusher at Missouri, and was projected as a first round talent prior to draft night. Just a month before the draft, Sam came out in the heart of a notoriously scrutinizing evaluation process, in which scouts are known for scathingly digging into every facet of a player's athletic ability and personal life. The St. Louis Rams selected Sam in the 7th and final round of the 2014 draft, sending Sam to tears and a kiss with his boyfriend on national television. The Rams cut Sam before the end of training camp before the Dallas Cowboys signed him to the practice squad. But Sam never played a regular season game in the NFL. He announced his retirement in 2015, citing the mental toll in the year after coming out.
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| Courtesy of Jeff Haynes |
Unfortunately, Sam was not the only gay man to be outcasted by the NFL, or the only one to keep themselves secret.
Former linebacker Ryan Russell came out as bisexual in 2019 in a self-written essay published on ESPN. He decided to come out to be completely transparent with his teammates and coaches for his presumed next team, for a career steeped in trust and honesty." Russell additionally admitted he feared being outed, and worried that coming out would risk his NFL career, jeopardizing his financial stability to support his mother and grandmother. He played in the NFL for 3 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Buffalo Bills. Russell was last seen in the NFL in 2018 with the Bills when a shoulder injury sidelined him the entirety of the season. He has not returned to the field since his announcement.
Former New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Ryan O'Callaghan came out in 2017 after retirement. He was interviewed by Outsports, and expressed how terrified he was for the consequences it could have on his personal life and career. O'Callaghan felt the NFL would exile him as a gay man, and greatly struggled finding self-acceptance during his career. He dealt with a deep interpersonal struggle internally and quietly, and nobody knew until his playing career was over.
Carl Nassib thank you for owning your truth and especially your donation to the @TrevorProject. LBGTQ people are more likely to commit suicide than heterosexuals. I hope and pray people will take note to this. Thank you again Carl and look forward to seeing you play on the field.
— Michael Sam (@MichaelSam52) June 22, 2021
"No one is going to assume the big football player is gay," O"Callaghan said. "It's why a football team is such a good place to hide."
The NFL is admittedly an unsuspecting hiding spot for members of the LGBTQ+ community, as Troy Vincent lamented in an op-ed late last year. Vincent, the Executive Vice President of Football Operations at the NFL, noted that approximately 9-12 percent of people polled by GLAAD and the Trevor Project identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community. In 2019, O'Callaghan stated he strongly believes there is at least one closeted gay or bisexual player on all 32 teams. While Nassib is the only active player to come out, he is certainly not the only gay player of the 1,696 active players in the NFL. But Vincent hopes the NFL has evolved and matured into a safe space for others like Nassib to come out.
"We have no way of knowing if an active NFL player would choose to come out, or what they might experience," Vincent wrote. "What I do know is that I am committed to celebrate, support, and welcome them."
The timing of Nassib's announcement is notable. Despite the laidback nature of the video he uploaded, he added that he agonized this moment for 15 years. Nassib was an eighth grader 15 years ago, and has been hiding his identity since. He likely remained silent to build a career for himself, where others came out and never played again. And after a handful of years in the league, Nassib has established a name for himself as a talented edge rusher, and a worthy contributor on a defensive line. Nassib has also secured financial stability, signing a 3 year contract worth $25 million in 2020 with the Raiders, including $16.75 million in guarantees. Fans remember him from his appearance on Hard Knocks in 2018 with the Browns, teaching his teammates how to see their bank accounts grow with compounding interest.
Nassib was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 3rd round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He also made a stop with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. He started 5 games for the Raiders last season, and recorded 2.5 sacks and an interception. Nassib is 28 years old and is about to play in the second year of his 3 year deal with the Raiders. It wasn't easy for Nassib as a 3rd round selection to make a name for himself in the NFL, and he has played in 3 different NFL cities in just a 5 year career. But Nassib has ascended to starter-level veteran status in the league and is reaping the financial benefits, and coming out at this stage in career is unlikely to deter his trajectory or his capacity to support a family. He established himself as a proven commodity.
So many players before Nassib concealed their true selves for their entire NFL careers to keep themselves employed. The NFL itself runs counter to the stereotype of a gay man's workplace because of the physical smash-mouth nature of the game. It has also been far from the most hospitable environment for gay men to feel encouraged to share their authentic selves, and has a history thrusting them into deep interpersonal battles of self-acceptance and belonging. There are reasons that Nassib will become the first player in league history to play a game as an openly gay man. For too long, the NFL was unprepared for the arrival of an openly gay player, or to accept him.
But this announcement has implications to be different. Nassib generated an unprecedented degree of supportive reception from active players, including his own teammates, coaches, players from across the league, and sports and political figures spread through the other professional sports leagues. In the 24 hours following Nassib's Instagram announcement, his jersey became the top-selling item on Fanatics. Players, coaches, fans, and even the President have expressed their support for Nassib and how proud they are of his courage and bravery.
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| Courtesy of Getty Images |
As joyous an occasion it is for Nassib and for the LGBTQ+ community, the news is a sobering reminder that the NFL has work to do to welcome Nassib and those after him to feel welcomed and embraced, without players weighing potential negative ramifications on the durations of their careers.
Goodell and the NFL are grandstanding Nassib and beaconing him as a trailblazer for the shield, and unfairly so for the Michael Sams, Ryan Russells, and Ryan O'Callaghans of the world. Goodell added that he hopes one day announcements such as Nassib's are no longer newsworthy, and that it will inspire others to come out of hiding. Hopefully, Nassib's announcement is a true catalyst for welcoming other LGBTQ+ players to come out, and feel truly loved and supported on and off the field. Nassib's easygoing yet courageous and unapologetic declaration has the power to ignite a domino effect and finally flip the script in the NFL. His announcement can inspire his teammates in the NFL as well as the other professional American sports leagues, and even younger players at the middle school, high school, and college ranks to come out, and feel accepted and loved as their truest selves.
The Las Vegas Raiders open the season at home against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday September 13th, when Nassib is expected to become the first ever openly gay player to suit up in an NFL game. Beyond his accomplishments on the field this season and future seasons, Nassib is breaking barriers for LGBTQ+ athletes, from all backgrounds and all ages. His announcement is a reminder of the work still to be done, but also a beacon of hope that better days are ahead.
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