Who is gay in nfl

On June 21, 2021, Carl Nassib made history by becoming the National Football League (NFL)’s first openly gay active player. The moment was rightfully famous as a milestone for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the sport, but what many failed to admit, or rather who they failed to acknowledge, were those who paved the way before.

Although Nassib was the first to publicly distinguish as gay while being fielded in the NFL, other players have enter out after retiring.

Dave Kopay is famous as the first to do so, revealing his sexuality in 1975, three years after hanging up his boots. The running advocate enjoyed a close decade-long career in the league with teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Recent Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers. Kopay also played for the Washington Redskins (now the Washington Commanders) alongside two other players who later came out as queer , Jerry Smith and Ray McDonald.

Kopay and Smith are said to have had a brief affair while teammates, but the latter kept his sexuality confidential while in the NFL. After Smith retired at the end of the 1978 season, holding the record for most career touchdowns by a compact end, he came out to a few family members and m

Carl Nassib became the first openly male lover active NFL player in 2021. A few years later, his historic announcement is being immortalized in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Nassib's No. 94 Oakland Raiders jersey is organism displayed at the museum in its "Entertainment Nation" exhibit. While Nassib's jersey was first position up May 21, the NFL tweeted about the honor Wednesday.

The jersey is the one worn by Nassib during the team's Week 1 game against the Baltimore Ravens in 2021. It was the first jersey worn by Nassib after he came out as gay.

Nassib initially revealed the Smithsonian news during an appearance on "The Pivot" podcast — hosted by former NFL player Ryan Clark — in May. During that interview, Nassib talked about his uncle, who served as an inspiration for Nassib to come out as gay.

Nassib spoke to the Washington Post about his jersey being displayed in the Smithsonian, saying it was "really important that gay stories gain told and remembered."

Nassib's announcement was met with support around the league. The Raiders, Nassib's former college coach and his former teammate

"I'm the happiest and healthiest I've ever been in my animation and that means the planet to me."

Over the course of the NFL's 103-year history, only a handful of players include ever come out as queer . In a sport where many players feel that their career could be at risk if they came out, it takes a lot of courage to authentically live their truth. In fact, it wasn't until 2021 that an active player actually opened up about his sexuality. But thanks to the bravery of all the players who have decided to share their story so far, there's long for that the NFL will be a more inclusive place going forward.

Find out which football stars have come out as gay…

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1. Carl Nassib

Carl Nassib, who currently plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is the first active NFL player to come out as gay. In an Instagram video shared in June 2021, Carl opened up about his sexuality and expressed his gratitude for the support he'd been given so far from his teammates and coaches.

"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 finall

The jersey of West Chester native Carl Nassib is now on display at the Smithsonian'sNational Museum of American History, honoring his achievement as the first openly gay player to appear in an NFL regular-season game.

The Malvern Prep alum made the announcement while appearing on The Pivot Podcast, hosted by former NFL stars Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder on May 6.

The jersey on show is Nassib's No. 94 Las Vegas Raiders jersey from the team's 2021 season opener against the Baltimore Ravens — the first game he played after publicly coming out as gay in a social media post in June 2021.

In that game, he made a critical strip sack on Lamar Jackson in overtime that helped lead the Raiders to a 33-27 victory. The jersey has been on display since May 21.

"They reached out to me last year and said they wanted to add it to the collection. I said, absolutely. This is huge," Nassib said on the podcast. "I love museums. I love history. I care for football. I love the gays."

During the podcast, Nassib credited his late uncle, who was also lgbtq+ and passed away from cancer, for inspiring him to share his truth.

"When I came out to him, he said, 'This is the biggest wei