Carl Nassib may not have left a huge sporting footprint in the NFL, but he will remain a trailblazer. In June 2021, he became the first active player to reveal his homosexuality. The end of a taboo.
This Wednesday, the pass rusher announced on Instagram that he is ending his football career. He is barely 30 years old.
“I can hang up my helmet telling myself that I gave it my all. […] It’s always been my dream to play in the NFL, and I truly feel like the luckiest guy on the planet,” he said in his post.
Drafted in the third round by the Browns in 2016, Carl Nassib had 2.5 sacks during his rookie season, then 3 the following year. Cut, he was picked up by the Buccaneers, for whom he had 12.5 sacks in two years. He then signed for 3 years and 16.75 million guaranteed with the Raiders. Again, his stay lasts two years, with only 4 sacks at stake.
Returning to the Buccaneers in 2022, he appeared in 13 games, for 3.5 sacks. He had been without a team since the end of last season.
Nassib explains in his message that he will devote himself to the development of his company, called Rayze. This is an application that connects people with charities related to their interests and close to home.
Since Carl Nassib’s coming out, no other active NFL player has come out as gay.
