Las Vegas Raiders star Carl Nassib has opened up about his impactful journey in a heartfelt post.
In June 2021, the 29-year-old sent shockwaves through the NFL and wider professional sports community when he came out as gay.
“What’s up people? I’m at my house in West Chester Pennsylvania. I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” he revealed. “I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest.”
Since that day, the defensive end became the first out active player in the NFL and the first openly gay player to compete in an NFL playoff game.
With Nassib enjoying his off-season, the young talent has opened up about his landmark announcement in an Instagram video.
“That was a really exciting day for me. I had wanted to do it for a really long time,” he explained. “I wanted to be in a place where I felt totally comfortable, totally confident to really give a voice to people that needed it the most.”
He then revealed that his friends and family were present on the day he uploaded his coming out video – which he described as a “stressful thing.”
“But we were really excited to spread the message of The Trevor Project, to bring visibility and representation to the NFL and to sports. We did it for the youth, for the kids that are really struggling the most,” he continued.
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Since coming out, Nassib has been a prominent supporter of The Trevor Project. Alongside his generous $100,000 donation, the Pennsylvania native raised funds for the group through the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats fundraiser.
Nassib’s constant support of the LGBTQ+ non-profit even sparked a donation from his own sports team.
On 1 March, the president of the Raiders, Dan Ventrelle, announced the team’s very own $100,000 donation.
“The Raiders are proud to match Carl’s generous donation to support The Trevor Project and the important work this organisation is doing to serve the LGBTQ+ community,” he said.
“Diversity, equality, and inclusion are core values of the Las Vegas Raiders, and we appreciate that both Carl and The Trevor Project have put toward advancing these principles.”
When asked what he thought of the Raider’s donation, Nassib described the influential move as “beautiful.”
“That’s incredible. I mean, I never expected them to match it. I think it’s really beautiful for them to take that step to support me, support The Trevor Project,” he revealed.
He ended his emotive statement by highlighting the importance of continuing the conversation of acceptance and support to “further the movement.”
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