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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed defensive end Carl Nassib, adding to their already impressive defensive front seven. However, some fans still find it necessary to discuss Nassib’s sexuality.
He came out as gay in June last year and is the NFL’s first openly gay player. His arrival has been met with some unpleasantness by some fans. On Twitter, the NFL world took to social media to show disdain for the people making jokes about Nassib’s sexuality.
Here are the top comments:
Other fans are just happy to see the defensive end return to Tampa Bay:
In an Instagram post, Carl Nassib announced that he is gay. He also stated he'd be giving a $100K donation to the Trevor Project, which works to stop suicide among the LGBTQ+ community.
"I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,". "I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now but finally feel comfortable getting it off my chest. I really have the best life, the best family, friends and job a guy can ask for."
He went onto say that videos like the one he's making are no longer necessary:
"I’m a pretty private person, so I hope you guys know that I’m not doing this for attention. 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 not necessary, but until then I will do my best and my part to cultivate a culture that’s accepting and compassionate."
Carl Nassib's NFL career
He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Penn State. Carl Nassib played two seasons with the Browns, recording 52 tackles and five-and-a-half sacks in his time with Cleveland. He spent the next two years with Tampa Bay (2018 - 2019), where he had 12.5 sacks and 63 tackles.
Nassib has spent the last two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he accumulated 49 tackles and four sacks in 17 games. The 29-year-old has now returned to the Buccaneers, where he once put up his best numbers.
Entering his seventh season in the NFL, he will look to play an important role in Tampa Bay's defense. We'll see how he fares when the season kicks off next month.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit USA Today and H/T Sportskeeda.
