The NFL met a big milestone in Saturday’s wildcard game, thanks to Oakland Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib. Nassib is the first openly gay player to appear in an NFL playoff game. Until Nassib, no openly gay player had ever played a down in an NFL regular season game. At least 15 players came out after their NFL careers had ended; defensive end Michael Sam came out in 2014, after completing his college football career at Mizzou. While he was drafted in the 7th round by the St. Louis Rams and was on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad, Sam never played in a regular season game. He did become the first openly gay player to appear in a game in the Canadian Football League.

So while he’s not the first gay NFL player, last June, Nassib, 28, became the first to come out while still active in the league. He did so via a post on Instagram.

“What’s up people,” the Penn State grad said. “I’m at my house in West Chester Pennsylvania. 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.”

Nassib added: 

At the time of his announcement, the Las Vegas Raiders tweeted out: “Proud of you, Carl” from the team’s official account.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also expressed his support, and the league matched Nassib’s $100,000 donation to The Trevor Project.

Goodell told Outsports: “The NFL family is proud of Carl for courageously sharing his truth today. Representation matters. We share his hope that someday soon statements like his will no longer be newsworthy as we march toward full equality for the LGBTQ+ community. We wish Carl the best of luck this coming season.”

The support for The Trevor Project meant a big deal to Ryan O’Callaghan, who hid his sexual orientation during his six-year NFL career as an offensive lineman.

When Nassib came out, there was the usual talk of whether that would cause distractions in the locker room. While we don’t know what might have been said to Nassib on or off the field, the Raiders had to overcome much bigger distractions and obstacles just to reach the playoffs this season. Nassib’s coming out was not one of those distractions for the Raiders on their way to Saturday’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Raiders’ head coach Jon Gruden had to resign after emails surfaced in which he used racist, misogynistic, and homophobic comments and hate speech. The team rallied together under interim head coach Rich Bisaccia for their playoff run.

Then the team’s star wide receiver Henry Ruggs was released after being charged with a DUI that resulted in the death of a young woman. 

And then there was the constant presence of COVID-19 which sidelined players on most teams.

But the Raiders persisted. As former defensive end RK Russell, who is gay and played three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, noted in a column in Saturday’s issue of The Guardian, the least of the Raiders’ worries this season “was one of their players finally being honest about who he is.”

Russell wrote:

Regardless of the outcome for the Raiders during wild card weekend, it’s essential to document this moment in history, one that is a first in all the years the game has been played. Whether Carl and the Raiders become Super Bowl champions now is not a moot point because, for the first time, closeted athletes, out athletes, LGBTQ+ sports fans, and people alike can know it’s possible.

This weekend, we will see the first ever playoff game with an active LGBTQ+ player. Looking to the future, it’s a distinct thrill to know that one day we will have a queer player with a Super Bowl ring. It’s important to mark these milestones and to keep pushing forward, especially now that it’s no longer a question of if but when.

As a Jets fan, who remembers playoff games against the Raiders and the 1968 Heidi Game defeat, I never thought I’d be saying this, but: Let’s go Raiders!