Nfl gay raiders

Former Raider Carl Nassib, the first active NFL player to verb out as gay during his career, has retired from the league.

The edge defender, who spent seven seasons in the league and recorded 25.5 sacks, said he plans to step away from football to devote more attention to his positivity- and philanthropy-based social media platform.

“This is a bittersweet moment for me. But after seven seasons and just over 100 NFL games, I am officially retiring from football to focus on my company Rayze,” the 30-year-old wrote on Instagram. “Football has given me more than I ever could have imagined. I can truly hang up my helmet for the last time knowing I gave it everything I had.

“It was always my aspire to play in the NFL, even as a walk-on, and I really feel like the luckiest guy on the planet.”

Nassib revealed publicly that he was gay in 2021 during his stint with the Raiders. At the time, he released a video and made an accompanying $100,000 contribution to the LGBTQ youth suicide prevention organization, the Trevor Project.

“I actually hope that on

Carl Nassib became the first openly gay active NFL player in 2021. A few years later, his historic announcement is being immortalized in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Nassib's No. 94 Oakland Raiders jersey is being displayed at the museum in its "Entertainment Nation" exhibit. While Nassib's jersey was first put up May 21, the NFL tweeted about the honor Wednesday.

The jersey is the one worn by Nassib during the team's Week 1 game against the Baltimore Ravens in 2021. It was the first jersey worn by Nassib after he came out as gay.

Nassib initially revealed the Smithsonian news during an appearance on "The Pivot" podcast — hosted by former NFL player Ryan Clark — in May. During that interview, Nassib talked about his uncle, who served as an inspiration for Nassib to come out as gay.

Nassib spoke to the Washington Post about his jersey being displayed in the Smithsonian, saying it was "really significant that gay stories get told and remembered."

Nassib's announcement was met wit

NFL-Nassib, NFL's first openly gay player, announces his retirement

Defensive end Carl Nassib, who became the first openly gay active NFL player when he came out in 2021, on Wednesday said he was retiring from the sport as the "luckiest guy on the planet".

"This is a bittersweet moment for me but after seven seasons and just over 100 NFL games I am officially retiring from football to focus on my company Rayze," Nassib, 30, said in a social media post.

"Football has given me more than I ever could have imagined. I can truly hang up my helmet for the last time knowing I gave it everything I had."

Nassib's announcement that he was gay in June, 2021 led to an outpouring of support from the league and his team, which praised his courage. Nassib's Las Vegas Raiders jersey became the top seller after he came out.

"I hope that one day videos like this and the whole coming out process are just not necessary," he said at the time.

In 2014, Michael Sam became the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL when he was selected

The jersey of West Chester native Carl Nassib is now on display at the Smithsonian'sNational Museum of American History, honoring his achievement as the first openly gay player to appear in an NFL regular-season game.

The Malvern Prep alum made the announcement while appearing on The Pivot Podcast, hosted by former NFL stars Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder on May 6.

The jersey on display is Nassib's No. 94 Las Vegas Raiders jersey from the team's 2021 season opener against the Baltimore Ravens — the first game he played after publicly coming out as gay in a social media post in June 2021.

In that game, he made a critical strip sack on Lamar Jackson in overtime that helped lead the Raiders to a 33-27 victory. The jersey has been on verb since May 21.

"They reached out to me last year and said they wanted to insert it to the collection. I said, absolutely. This is huge," Nassib said on the podcast. "I love museums. I value history. I love football. I love the gays."

During the podcast, Nassib credited his late uncle, who was also gay and passed away from cance