In recent days, some have suggested that free-agent defensive end Carl Nassib’s decision to declare his sexuality publicly has contributed to his current status as unemployed. While there’s no specific reason at this point to believe that has happened, the coaches who would shy away from signing Nassib due to the perceived “distraction” (even though his status was a non-issue for the Raiders in 2021) probably won’t be declaring it to the world.
Coincidentally, or not, Nassib appeared earlier today on Good Morning America to reflect on his decision from roughly a year ago. Nassib said that he “was met with the most incredible support” from his teammates.
“I just wanted to show that it really doesn’t matter -- your sexual orientation,” Nassib said.
Nassib was asked about his future NFL career. At age 29, he remains interested in playing.
“It was a great time,” Nassib said of his time with the Raiders. “I have so much love for Las Vegas. It allowed me to do a lot of great things. And I think that there’ll be more -- there’ll be better opportunities in the future.”
He didn’t name any teams that may currently be interested. He said that “the best scenario for me is, like, the best opportunity to show what I got.” Nasib added that he’s “got a lot in the tank.”
Nassib’s decision to declare his sexuality a year ago made news. He hopes that, eventually, situations like this won’t.
"[I] actually hope that one day videos like this and the whole coming out process are just not necessary,” Nassib said. “When people come out, they’re coming out of the closet because they’re afraid. They have fear that they’re gonna have negative impact on their life, on their relationships, on their job.”
Hopefully, that will be the case. People are who they are. Life is hard enough without worrying about being someone other than who you are.
Hopefully, our society will keep moving in the right direction in this regard, and not regress.
Hopefully, owners, General Managers, and coaches will make decisions about Nassib based only on his skills and abilities as a football player.