NFL Honors Ceremony Celebrates Carl Nassib’s Coming Out

The NFL honored out player Carl Nassib in the NFL Honors awards ceremony for making history as the first active NFL athlete to come out. 

Nassib came out last year in an Instagram video where he thanked his family, friends, the NFL, coaches, and fellow players for their support. “From the jump, I was greeted with the utmost respect and acceptance,” he says. 

Hall of Famer Michael Irvin gave a motivational speech in the ceremony about Nassib’s coming out video last year. 

“Last year, a one-minute Instagram video had an impact that is impossible to measure,” Irvin says. “It declared unequivocally that members of the LGBTQ community compete at the highest level in the National Football League.”

Nassib’s coming out was deeply personal to Irvin, as he explained to the audience that years ago, news like this would have been a “’stop the press’ kinda moment.” 

“We cannot underestimate what that single message meant to countless athletes and other members of the community, who have long hid their true selves out of fear,” Irvin says. “Who have long hidden their true selves out of fear.” 

A short video presentation was showed where LBTQ athletes young and old discussed how Nassib’s coming out video impacted their lives. 

Carl Nassib has impacted and inspired a generation of athletes. ❤️????

????: #NFLHonors on ABC & NFL Network pic.twitter.com/PNRiaWTYAD

— NFL (@NFL) February 11, 2022

The video also served to promote the Trevor Project, a national suicide prevention organization supporting LGBTQ young people. 

In Nassib’s came out video, he announced that he’d be donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project. “For someone like me, who has been so lucky and cherishes every day, it brings me incredible sadness to think that out LGBTQ youth are at such an elevated risk for suicide.”

“I don’t know all the history behind our courageous LGBTQ community, but I am eager to learn and to help continue the fight for equality and acceptance,” says Nessib.

Photo Courtesy of Instagram