During Pride Month, Carl Nassib not only decided to speak his truth, but make NFL history in the process.
Carl Nassib took to his personal Instagram account to come out as gay. He also announced he will be donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project, a leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning youth.
Nassib described himself "as a pretty private person" in his post, adding that he didn't want to draw attention to himself with his coming out, however he had "been meaning to want to do this for awhile."
"I really have the best life. I got the best family, friends and job a guy could ask for," said Nassib in his Instagram post. "I actually hope one day that 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."
Carl Nassib's announcement made NFL history as he's seen as the first openly gay player to come out while active on an NFL roster.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement of support Monday afternoon:
"The NFL family is proud of Carl for courageously sharing his truth today. Representation matters. We share his hope that someday soon statements like his will no longer be newsworthy as we march toward full equality for the LGBTQ+ community. We wish Carl the best of luck this coming season."
