Although Carl Nassib fell out of the Las Vegas Raiders rotation during the 2020 season, he has been making waves in the news after announcing he is gay on his Instagram account.
Nassib became the first active openly gay NFL player and immediately received an outpouring of support from the Raiders, head coach Jon Gruden, and athletes from across different sports. Since his announcement, his jersey also became the top-selling jersey online, a strong indication that he is well-received by fans as well.
Aside from the NFL and its fans, Nassib also drew support from President Joe Biden, who wrote he was proud of him and that he served as an inspiration to people around the world via ProFootballTalk:
“To Carl Nassib and Kumi Yokoyama – two prominent, inspiring athletes who came out this week: I’m so proud of your courage. Because of you, countless kids around the world are seeing themselves in a new light today,” Biden said.
Kumi Yokoyama is a forward on the Washington Spirit woman’s soccer team and Japan national team who recently came out as a transgender man last Saturday. Biden’s support comes in the last couple of weeks of Pride Month and is the most recent example of him voicing support for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Along with his announcement, the Las Vegas Raiders defensive end also pledged $100,000 to The Trevor Project, a non-profit organization that focuses on suicide prevention within the LGBTQ+ community. In an effort to support Nassib, the NFL announced it would match his donation.
As far as the Raiders, teammates like Derek Carr reached out to Nassib to tell him he loved him and that he was looking forward to winning a championship with him in Las Vegas. This kind of love and support is heartwarming to see and should go a long way in helping other individuals struggle with their sexuality and identity.
