Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib watches during game against Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium on September 26, 2021. (Getty / Chris Unger)
The Las Vegas Raiders free defensive end Carl Nassib, who made history as the first openly gay active player in the NFL.
Nassib is a six-year-old football veteran and played for the Raiders for two seasons. Over his career with the Raiders, Nassib generated 49 tackles, four sacks and an interception as part of a rotating group of edge-rushers, according to NFL.com.
The official NFL website reported that the decision to cut the trailblazing football player was a financial one and had nothing to do with Nassib’s sexual orientation.
The NFL report said Nassib’s $ 7.75m base salary was “too rich for a player who played just 242 defensive tackles and earned 1.5 sacks last season”.
Nassib signed a $ 25.25m three-year free agent deal with the Las Vegas Raiders in March 2020, ESPN reported. Nassib is cut from the team with the Raiders saving about $ 8 million in this year’s salary, which begins in June.
Carl Nassib is now free to sign with any team for the upcoming season, and it is expected that he will have no problem finding a new team.
The 28-year-old made headlines during the offseason as he was in one heartfelt video posted on his Instagram account. Nassib said in the video that he came out to do his part to cultivate a “culture that accepts, that is compassionate”.
The NFL star has donated $ 100,000 to The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that focuses on suicide prevention among LGBT + youth. This donation was Match of the NFL and later by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Earlier this month, Carl Nassib released a video reflecting on his decision to go public. He said it was one of the the most “stressful” things he has done so farbut he said it was also a “really exciting day for me”.
“I wanted to do it really long,” Nassib said. “I wanted to be in a place where I felt very comfortable, very confident in giving people a voice that really needed it the most.”
Nassib said he would be happy to bring “representation to the NFL” and “spread the message” about the Trevor Project’s vital work to “help the children who are struggling the most.”
“That’s who I’m most passionate about and to be able to say I helped them is absolutely incredible,” Nassib said.
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