Carl Nassib Says Coming Out Was 'Stressful, But Worth It'

In his first public comments since the NFL season ended, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib revealed that his public coming out last year was stressful but ultimately worth the effort. In a video posted to social media by Nassib and the Raiders, he also thanked the team for matching his donation of $100,00 to The Trevor Project, which supports LGBTQ+ youth at risk of death by suicide.

"That was a really exciting day for me," Nassib said in the video. "I had wanted to do it for a really long time. I wanted to be in a place where I felt totally comfortable, totally confident to really give a voice to people that needed it the most."

Nassib came out as gay last June during Pride Month, and later became the first out gay player to earn a spot on a regular-season roster and play in a regular-season game.

"What's up people," Nassib said in the video. "I'm at my house 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 finally feel comfortable getting it off my chest. I really have the best life, the best family, friends, and job a guy can ask for."

Nassib reflected on that historic moment in the recent video, noting that while he was with his family and friends, "it was definitely a stressful thing to do."

He was, however, "really excited to spread the message of the Trevor Project to bring visibility and representation to the NFL, to sports."

Nassib also made clear why he chose The Trevor Project.

"We did it for the youth, for the kids who are struggling the most," Nassib continued. "That's who I'm most passionate about and to be able to say I helped them is absolutely incredible."

The NFL actively assisted Nassib in his mission to make sports accessible to all regardless of one's sexual identity when they released a video entitled Football is for Everyone that declared "Football is gay" and matched Nassib's donation of $100,000 to The Trevor Project.

"That was incredible," Nassib said of the donation. "I never expected them to match it and I think it's beautiful for them to take that step, you know, to support me, support The Trevor Project."

Nassib was recently honored by the NFL for the significance of his coming out for the league and the community.

Also impressed by Nassib's coming out was fellow Raider Alec Ingold. The fullback said his initial reaction to the news last June was, "Wow, good for him." But after thinking it over, he realized the significance of Nassib's revelation which provided a path forward for others seeking acceptance in organized sports.

"For Carl to have the courage to do that, it took a little bit to sink in on the magnitude of what he did," Ingold said.

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