More than a year after coming out publicly, NFL player Carl Nassib has commented on his decision, saying it was a tough one.
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Now a free agent after being released by the Las Vegas Raiders, Nassib explained in a report on Good Morning America that he had doubts before posting a video on social media. Images that changed his life.
“I stared at the phone for, I’d say, an hour, and I was trying to motivate myself just by looking at it,” he said of the fateful moment on Tuesday. The last thing I thought to myself was, “You know what? for the kids.” And I pressed “publish”.
After thinking long and hard throughout his life, Nassib felt the time had come. Indicating that he is someone who avoids the spotlight, he hopes that his gesture will allow others to live a little more freely and that one day, “coming out” will no longer be necessary.
“I just wanted to show that it really doesn’t matter, your sexual orientation. We are moving in a positive direction. It won’t be a perfect road and we just have to stay the course.”
Nassib, the first active NFL player to come out as gay, played 86 games with the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Raiders. He had 164 tackles, 22 quarterback sacks and one interception as a defensive end.