Sunday marked a five-year anniversary of a landmark day in sports history.
On June 21, 2021, on a quiet Monday afternoon in the NFL, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib announced he was gay in a short, simple Instagram post. He become the first (and still only) active player in NFL history to be publicly out.
It instantly became world-wide news as Nassib’s story transcended sports. His jersey quickly became a leading seller in the league.
The long-lasting impact Nassib’s announcement had is
that the league and its players have proven that can and hasveaccepted a publicly out player. After his announcement, Nassib was just another player. His story quickly slid to the background.
He fit in like he did in his first five NFL seasons when he was known only as a hard-working rotational pass rusher from Penn State. He was just one of the guys in the Raiders’ locker room. He received public support from several teammates and there were never any stories or reports of negative treatment or remarks by fans or by opponents. Even during broadcasts of Raiders’ game, for the most part, Nassib was talked about for his play on the field.
Nassib also proved an out player could get a job as a free agent. He was cut for financial reasons in 2022 and he was later signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played there for the 2022 season before retiring on his own terms at the age of 30.
While appearing on Raiders’ teammate Darren Waller’s podcast in September, 2021, Nassib said he long wanted to come out, but wanted to do it after he become financially secure. In 2020, Nassib signed a three-year, $25.25 million deal with the Raiders with $13.25 million in guaranteed money.
So, in the end, Nassib not only was true to himself with that announcement five years ago, but he showed other players in the NFL, and in sports in general, that things will pretty much remain the same for them if they chose to come out.
At this five-year mark, no active NFL player has come out as gay. Perhaps it will happen soon or it may take time. Regardless, Nassib was a pioneer and it’s so cool he did as a Raider, further adding to the franchise’s storied history of being cultural pioneers.
So, June 21 is a seminal date for many reasons.
