Carl Nassib, who was the first active NFL player to come out publicly, has revealed he may have a boyfriend!
The 28-year-old Las Vegas Raiders defensive end talked about his love life with his teammate Darren Waller and his co-host Donny Starkins on their Comeback Stories podcast on Friday, Oct. 1, which marked his first interview since he revealed on Instagram in June that he is gay.
“I just wanted to be someone’s number one priority, and I couldn’t have that,” he first told the hosts. “So that was the one thing where I was like, ‘Man, I really fucking want that.’ But I got that now, so it’s good,” Carl added. He went on to reveal, “Oh, I met an awesome guy. He’s the best.”
During the interview, Carl opened up about why he decided to come out publicly. “I didn’t really do it to break barriers,” he claimed. “I did it because I felt an obligation to the LGBTQ community, to bring representation and bring visibility to a very, very popular entertainment business, to a very, very popular industry that doesn’t have a lot of representation.”
“I felt a huge obligation to my community, to all the young kids out there who are struggling with their sexuality,” the athlete went on elaborating. “If I could just help a few of them out, then I really could sleep better at night.”
Carl went public with his sexuality on June 21 via an Instagram video. “What’s up people?” he first greeted his fans, before adding, “I’m at my house here in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I just want to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest.”
“I really have the best life, I’ve got the best family, friends and job a guy could ask for,” Carl further noted. He also thanked his friends, family, the NFL, his team coaches and fellow players for their support in an attached statement, saying, “I would not have been able to do this without them. From the jump, I was greeted with the utmost respect and acceptance.”
