Raiders’ Carl Nassib announces he’s gay, donates $100K to Trevor Project

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out as gay on Instagram and announced a $100 thousand donation to the Trevor Project.

The NFL officially had an active player come out as gay for the first time in league history.

On Monday, Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib posted a video on Instagram, revealing he is gay while also pledging a huge donation to the Trevor Project.

“What’s up people, I’m Carl Nassib. I’m at my house here in West Chester, Pennsylvania and I just want to take a quick moment to say I’m gay,” Nassib said.

“I actually hope that one day videos like this and the whole coming out process are just not necessary, but until then, I’m going to do my best and do my part to cultivate a culture that’s accepting and compassionate. And I’m going to start by donating $100 thousand to the Trevor Project.”

The Trevor Project is an organization focused on suicide prevention in the LGBTQ+ community, particularly among young people.

Raiders DE Carl Nassib is the first openly gay player in NFL history

When Nassib steps on the field for the Raiders this season, he will be the first openly gay player to participate in an NFL regular-season game.

In 2014, Michael Sam came out before the draft and played in preseason games for the Rams, but he didn’t make the roster.

Nassib has played five seasons in the NFL since being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He spent two seasons in Cleveland, starting 15 times, then signed with the Buccaneers in 2018. He had two seasons with six sacks in Tampa Bay. Ahead of the 2020 season, he signed a three-year deal with the Raiders.

Last year, Nassib started five of 14 appearances and finished with 2.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, one interception and five pass deflections. He’s hoping to boost the Raiders odds to make a playoff run this year with another solid season.