Carl Nassib praises teammates for their support since coming out
As Carl Nassib pondered the potential reaction to his recent coming out as the first active NFL player to announce he was gay, the least of his worries was how his teammates on the Las Vegas Raiders would accept the news and his presence.
“I had zero stress about that,” Nassib said on Friday in his first public comments since his announcement in June. “Absolutely no worries about it. We’ve got a great locker room, great teammates. I’ve been met with nothing but love and support. It’s been incredible Football players get a bad rap. But we’re humble hard-working accepting people. This was a great example of that.”
That part of it aside, Nassib said his announcement did lift a significant weight off his shoulders.
“It was definitely stressful, growing up being in the closest and doing all that. It’s very stressful for anybody. I can speak from experience,” Nassib said.
The Raiders’ defensive end said on Friday he had come out to numerous family and friends over the years, but that he feels a burden has been lifted since revealing the truth to the world.
“It’s been good to not have to lie when I come to work every day,” he said.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore onTwitter.
