Nassib becomes first active NFL player to come out as gay

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib on Monday became the first active NFL player to come out as gay.

Nassib announced the news on Instagram, saying he wasn’t doing it for the attention but because “I just think that representation and visibility are so important.”

Nassib also said in his short video message that he was donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project, a nonprofit that seeks to prevent suicide among LGBTQ youth.

Nassib is a sixth-year pro who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2016 in the third round out of Penn State. He played two seasons for the Browns and two for Tampa Bay before joining the Raiders in 2020.

___

More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL