In what is hailed as a historic moment for LGBTQ+ representation in professional sports, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out as gay in an Instagram post, becoming the first active NFL player to do so.
Entering his sixth season in the league, Nassib started his career with the Cleveland Browns and has also been with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His annual salary is $7.5 million.
Nassib announced he will be donating $100,000 to his salary to the Trevor Project, a confidential hotline that helps troubled gay youths.
Older brother Ryan Nassib played quarterback for Syracuse University and spent four years as a backup for the New York Giants.
In 2014 NFL prospect Michael Sam came out, which caused his stock to plummet; he ultimately selected 249th overall out of 256 players in the NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. Despite an impressive showing including three sacks overall and six tackles in his final game, Sam did not make the regular season roster. Sam played briefly in Canada but soon left football for good, citing 'mental health reasons'.