NEWSLETTER
There may come a day when a professional athlete sharing that they are gay is not significant news, but we aren’t there yet. Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib has shared with the world that he is gay, making him the first active openly gay player in the NFL. I hope he immediately gets the support of not only those around him, but the rest of the sporting world. This cannot have been easy.
#Raiders DE Carl Nassib announced in an Instagram post that he's gay. He's believed to be the first NFL player who's played in games to openly do so. pic.twitter.com/zEXqRuaj6V
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) June 21, 2021
NFL history for @Raiders player Carl Nassib, first active gay player. https://t.co/SW5FSwtOEK
— Outsports (@outsports) June 21, 2021
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This is major news, and it is wonderful that Nassib has shown the courage to be himself openly. You want that comfort for everyone – to just be able to be themselves, not having to hide who they are – and someone like Nassib taking this step is huge, not only for other NFL players, not only for other major sports players, but also for fans. We want sports to be for everyone, and that means truly being inclusive – we try to live it here at BN, teams try to show it (though they can continue to do more), and players and coaches can now show their support for Nassib.
