The NFL's first openly gay player just came out of the closet with a $100K donation to an LGBTQ+ charity
- The NFL has its first gay player.
- Carl Nassib came out on Instagram Monday because "representation and visibility are so important."
- The Las Vegas Raiders defensive end added that he made a $100K donation to a leading LGBTQ+ charity.
For the first time, an active NFL player publicly identifies as gay.
Carl Nassib - a defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders - came out as gay with a heartfelt post on his personal Instagram account Monday evening. The 28-year-old described himself as a "pretty private person" but decided to share his sexuality openly because "representation and visibility are so important."
"I actually hope that one day, videos like this and the whole coming out process are not necessary," Nassib said in his video post. "But until then, I will do my best and my part to cultivate a culture that's accepting and compassionate."
To start, Nassib said, he will make a $100,000 donation to The Trevor Project, a leading LGBTQ+ charity aimed at combatting the high rates of suicide among queer kids and young adults.
"They're an incredible organization," Nassib said. "They're the number one suicide-prevention service for LGBTQ youth in America."
Nassib - a West Chester, Pennsylvania native and a former Penn State walk-on - was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He spent two seasons in Cleveland before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019.
In March 2020, Nassib signed a three-year, $25 million contract with the Raiders. In 14 appearances and five starts for Las Vegas last season, the 6-foot-7, 275-pounder accrued 2.5 sacks, 28 tackles, nine quarterback hits, and an interception.
It appears as though the Raiders organization is among the many showing the defensive end public support following his announcement Monday evening. Las Vegas' official Instagram account commented three hearts on the post.
Shortly thereafter, the franchise shared screenshots of Nassib's Instagram post on Twitter with the caption "Proud of you, Carl ."
Check out Nassib's coming out Instagram post - and the outpouring of support from across the sports world in the comments - below: