Opinion: Carl Nassib is now the face of gay players in NFL. That will be harder than you think.
was astounded to hear Carl Nassib’s announcement that he’s gay, making the Las Vegas Raiders defensive end the NFL’s first openly gay active player, seven years after Michael Sam was the first openly gay player drafted by the league.
Sam deserves tremendous credit for his bravery. But he never played a snap in a regular-season game, and he never had to carry the weight of the daily struggle that Nassib, 28, will experience this entire season and every season for the rest of his career.
There’s no point in trying to parse levels of bravery, but if history is going to recognize one player as “the Jackie Robinson of gay NFL players,” that player will be Nassib. Because unless another NFL player comes out this season, Nassib will be the pioneer who forges ahead alone and sets the example for everyone who follows. The minute Nassib retires, the NFL will have to rename its courage award after him — currently it honors former Colts trainer Ed Block — or create a new honor in his name.
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I hope Nassib is up to this considerable challenge and has a good understanding of what he’s about to experience. I don’t know much about Nassib, other than what I saw of him in 2018 when he was featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series and explained to a room of defensive linemen how to make a fortune with 10% yearly compound interest. He also admitted to buying a Rolex in order to impress Taylor Swift before he met her at a concert.
Since then, I’ve liked Nassib and thought of him as a fun-loving player, comfortable with making big statements. But when he made his announcement Monday on Instagram from his home near Philadelphia, Nassib was understated and seemed like someone not looking for attention, but just looking to get through something.
“I just want to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” Nassib said as he held his phone and swayed side-to-side while standing in his yard. “I’ve been meaning to do this for awhile now, but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest.”
Nassib said he’s a private person but decided to make his announcement because, “I just think representation and visibility are so important. I actually hope that, like, 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, that’s compassionate.”
The announcement was roundly cheered and encouraged. Everyone from Sam to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to Warren Moon,praised Nassib. The NFL also announced Tuesday it would match Nassib’s $100,000 donation to the Trevor Project, which provides crisis and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth.
As difficult as it was for Nassib to make his announcement, the hard part is what comes next. He’s a five-year veteran, which means he knows what he’s going to face across the league and even inside his own locker room this year.
I hope this season Nassib finds as much success on the field as he does in cultivating an accepting and compassionate culture in the NFL. It won’t be easy.
But Nassib probably knows that better than most.
Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com and follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.