Former NFL player Carl Nassib recalls conversation that inspired him to come out

After being the first openly gay and active NFL player, Carl Nassib has revealed what contributed to his decision to come out.

Earlier this week, Nassib appeared on The Pivot podcast, where he discussed a conversation he had with his uncle, who was dying of cancer, and was also another gay man in his family.

“I saw him on his deathbed and he was in a really bad shape and I came out to him,” he recalled to the podcast host, Ryan Clark. “We’re from a huge family — I have 44 first cousins — and he was the only gay guy, gay person, in the entire family.”

Prior to coming out to his uncle, the former defensive end had only told his parents, close friends, and siblings that he was gay.

“When I came out to him, he and his husband were there, and he was like, ‘This is the biggest weight off my chest.’ He was like, ‘I’m not the only one,’” he said.

Nassib’s uncle died in 2019. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers player didn’t publicly share his sexuality until 2021, admitting that he originally planned on making the announcement in 2020 but held off after the murder of George Floyd and the start of the COVID pandemic.

The former NFL player shared the news in an Instagram post while he was playing for the Las Vegas Raiders. “What’s up, people. I’m Carl Nassib. I’m at my house here in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” the video began.

“I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest.”

Nassib told his followers that he hoped that people would not have to make similar videos in the future and announced he was donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project, which aims to prevent suicide among LGBT+ youths.

“I’m a pretty private person so I hope you guys know that I’m really not doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important,” he said at the time.

“I actually hope that like 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 and do my part to cultivate a culture that’s accepting, that’s compassionate, and I’m going to start by donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project.”

In an online written message, Nassib said he had “agonized over this moment for the last 15 years” and decided to go public with the support of his family and friends.

After playing in the NFL for seven seasons, Nassib announced his retirement in September 2023.