Nassib took to his Instagram on Monday, June 22nd, and posted a video of his coming out.
“I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I am gay. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, but I finally feel comfortable enough now to get it off my chest.”
Nassib has been the Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman since he signed with the team in March 2020 for a three-year 25 million dollar contract. He started his football career at Penn State University, playing for the Nittany Lions. There he earned the All-American honors as a senior in 2015. The Cleveland Browns later drafted Nassib in 2016. He has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining the Las Vegas Raiders.
“I really have the best life, family, friends, and job a guy could ask for. I’m a pretty private person, so I hope you guys know I’m not doing this for attention.”
Nassib later stated how vital representation is, particularly for LGBTQ youths, and his commitment to that cause. “I just think that representation and visibility are so important. I hope that 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, and I’m going to start by donating 100,000 dollars to The Trevor Project.”
The Trevor Project was founded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award-winning short film TREVOR. The Trevor Project is a leading national organization providing suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youths.
Along with his video, Nassib also released a written message.
“I was immediately drawn to The Trevor Project when I learned about their mission to provide suicide prevention services to the LGBTQ community. Young LGBTQ kids are over 5x more likely than their straight friends to consider suicide. For someone like me, who has been so lucky and cherishes every day, it brings me incredible sadness to think that our LGBTQ youth are at such an elevated risk of suicide.”
You can be that person who saves a life. 🏳️🌈♥️
For more information on how you can help the @TrevorProject, a suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ youth, visit https://t.co/yav26eFeDT pic.twitter.com/QHpzi4axEA
— NFL (@NFL) June 22, 2021
Notably, Nassib decided to come out during Pride Month; this points to a changing positive attitude among the N.F.L. as an institution. Happy pride month, and Go Raiders!