Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib came out on Monday, making him the first active openly gay player in NFL history.
“I just want to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” Nassib said in a video posted on his Instagram account. “I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest.”
Nassib continued by saying, “I’m a pretty private person, so I hope you guys know I’m not doing this for attention, but I think representation matters.”
He also announced he was donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth.
The five-year NFL veteran made the announcement from his home in Pennsylvania, and had a follow up post saying he was thankful for the support from the NFL, his coaches and teammates. Nassib said he has been greeted with the “utmost respect and acceptance.”
There has never been an openly gay player to play in an NFL regular season game. In 2014, then St. Louis Rams draft pick Michael Sam came out before the draft, but was cut by the team during the preseason.
Nassib signed with the Raiders last season. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
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