Carl Nassib, first openly gay man to play in NFL games, retires after 7 seasons

(WTAJ) — The first openly gay player to appear in an NFL regular season game is calling it a career after seven seasons.

Carl Nassib, 30, announced Wednesday on Instagram that he’s walking away from the NFL.

Nassib, who came out in 2021 while with the Las Vegas Raiders, said it’s a “bittersweet moment.”

“It really feels like just yesterday starting out as a walk-on at Penn State. 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,” Nasib said.

In 2016, Nassib was drafted in the third round by the Cleveland Browns. He spent two seasons with the team before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2018-2019, 2022) and two with the Las Vegas Raiders (2020-2021).

In June 2021, Nassib publicly announced he was gay on Instagram. In August 2021, he said the response he received was “incredible” according to ESPN.

While there were other NFL players who were open about their sexuality to the public, Nassib was the first NFL player to announce they are gay while playing in the league.