On Monday, Las Vegas Raiders defensive star Carl Nassib came out on Instagram and announced that he is gay, becoming the first active NFL player to do so. After the announcement, many came out in support of Nassib, including his team, the Raiders, with a simple, four-word Tweet.
Proud of you, Carl 🖤 pic.twitter.com/R9aJxYFefW
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) June 21, 2021
Proud organization, right? Well, it didn’t stop there, as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent out a statement in lieu of Nassib’s ground-breaking announcement.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell weighs in on #Raiders DE Carl Nassib’s “courageous” coming out. pic.twitter.com/4k73drunql
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 21, 2021
To no surprise, both sides are in support of Nassib, and Goodell acknowledged the courage he must have had in order to come out with such an announcement, especially considering he has broken the barriers for the NFL game.
The Raiders gave Nassib a hefty payday in 2020 and might regret that decision, although the Raiders as a team underwhelmed during the 2020 season.
Going into 2021, there is a lot to like about the Raiders as a group, and perhaps head coach Jon Gruden can get the best out of this group.
Either way, a huge step for Nassib as a person and for the NFL as a league, and perhaps more announcements are headed soon. It is refreshing to see Nassib break the barrier– so to speak– as the first active player to make the announcement, and it is even better to see the team and Goodell in support of it.