Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden was among those who came out in support of Carl Nassib after the defensive end came out as gay Monday.
Nassib, who signed a three-year deal with the Raiders before the start of the 2020 season, announced he was gay in an Instagram video.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
“I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” he said. “I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now but finally feel comfortable getting it off my chest. I really have the best life, the best family, friends and job a guy can ask for.
“I’m a pretty private person so I hope you guys know that I’m not doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important. I actually hope that one day, videos like this and the whole coming out process are not necessary, but until then I will do my best and my part to cultivate a culture that’s accepting and compassionate.”
RAIDERS’ CARL NASSIB ANNOUNCES HE IS GAY: ‘I’VE BEEN MEANING TO DO THIS FOR A WHILE NOW’
Nassib also said he is donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project, which is the “world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ youth.”
Gruden offered his support for his player.
“I learned a long time ago what makes a man different is what makes him great,” he said, via ESPN.
Nassib is the first active NFL player to reveal that he is gay. Several players have revealed their orientation after their careers were over, while Michael Sam was on the Rams’ roster in 2014 but never appeared in a regular-season game.
The 28-year-old Nassib played in 14 games for the Raiders last season. He had 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He had played for the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers previously.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
