Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassibe became the first active player in NFL history to publicly announce he is gay.
The Pennsylvania-born man went public with his sexual orientation in a video posted on his Instagram account.
“What’s up, I’m Carl Nassib. I’m at my house here in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest,” he said.
The 28-year-old boasts a five-year professional career; in which he has played for three teams. At the time of publication of this article, he is playing his second season with the Raiders.
His video was accompanied by a statement in which he admitted that he had “agonised” for 15 years over the decision to reveal his homosexuality.
On the other hand, Nassib made it clear that he is a private person and is not seeking fame with this revelation: “I just think that representation and visibility are so important,” he said.
In addition, he said he hopes “that one day videos like this and the whole coming out process are just not necessary”.
Both the NFL and his team have shown their support for Nassib’s decision.
