Carl Nassib has made history by becoming the first out player signed to the NFL Regular Season Roster.
When he announced that he was gay on Instagram in June, Nassib sent shockwaves through the NFL and wider professional sport community.
On August 31, he earned a spot on the final 53-man roster of the Las Vegas Raiders – becoming the first out player signed.
It is expected that he will soon make history again by being the first out player to participate in a regular season game on 13 September.
Nassib used his coming out to highlight the work of the Trevor Project, a charity for LGBTQ+ youth considering suicide, by announcing a $100,000 donation to them.
The donation was quickly matched by the NFL, who shared their commitment to “year-long efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion”.
During his first press conference since sharing that he was gay, Nassib revealed that he was shocked by how much attention his coming out received.
“It was incredible,” he said in August. “I thought nobody would care. But it was just such a good feeling to have all that support. I was glad to do my part to help bring visibility and representation to my community.”
The athlete also used the opportunity to dismiss those raising concerns that his sexuality would cause issues with other teammates.
View this post on Instagram
Nassib said: “We’ve got a great locker room, great teammates. I’ve been met with nothing but love and support. It has been incredible.
“Football players get a bad wrap. But we’re humble, hard-working, accepting people. This was a great example of that.”
Other players even reached out to him to wish him well, with quarterback Derek Carr being the first.
“And I called him,” Carr said in an interview shortly after Nassib came out. “He was working out, so I texted him. And he sent a text right back. And he said, ‘Derek, you have no idea how much it meant to me for you to reach out.’ He said, ‘I was hoping that you would reach out.’”
Nassib is currently signed to a $25 million contract with the Raiders, with $16.75 million of this guaranteed – meaning it is unlikely that he will be cut from the team.
This is also because of Nassib’s incredible performance of late, with he currently being listed as second on the depth chart behind Yannick Ngakoue.
View this post on Instagram
Latest
