National Football League (NFL) player Carl Nassib has announced on Instagram that he is gay, making him the first active player to come out.

The 28-year-old Las Vegas Raiders defensive end said he had thought about his decision for a while and was finally comfortable to "get it off my chest."

"I'm a pretty private person so I hope that you guys know that I'm really not doing this for attention," he said in a video.

"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 just not necessary. But until then I'm going to do my best to cultivate a culture that's accepting and compassionate."

Nassib also said he would donate $100,000 (€84,000) to the Trevor Project, a suicide-prevention organization for LGBTQ youth in the United States.

Positive reactions

The majority of comments on social media have been supportive of Nassib's announcement, and NFL officials also welcomed the decision.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement: "The NFL family is proud of Carl for courageously sharing his truth today. Representation matters."

"We share his hope that someday soon statements like his will no longer be newsworthy as we march towards full equality for the LGBTQ+ community."

Raiders owner Mark Davis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he "thought we got to the point where this wasn't" prominent news.

"It's 2021 and he's a Raider. If he's happy, I'm happy. It takes courage. It doesn't change my opinion of him as a man or as a Raider."

No openly gay player has played a regular season game in the NFL. Nassib is about to enter his sixth season as professional, having first been drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2016 followed by a two-year spell with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He signed with the Raiders in 2020.

Defensive end Michael Sam came out as gay before he was drafted in 2014 to the St. Louis Rams, but did not make the final roster following preseason games.

jcs/pfd (Reuters, AFP)