The sports world is showering Carl Nassib with support for publicly coming out this week, becoming the first active openly gay NFL player. The Las Vegas Raiders lineman said he made his courageous announcement to increase visibility, despite being a private person.
Here in the Boston area, we’re lucky that all of our professional sports franchises support the LGBTQ community. The New England Patriots became the first NFL franchise to sponsor the National Gay Flag Football’s League Gay Bowl; the Red Sox hold an annual Pride Night that coincides with Boston Pride; the Celtics host a yearly Pride Night; and the Bruins held an open skate with Boston’s LGBTQ hockey organization earlier this month.
With that in mind, it isn’t surprising to see our beloved teams applaud Nassib for living his truth. Their comments of support are below, beginning with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who’s championed LGBTQ equality for decades. When former Patriots lineman Ryan O’Callaghan came out, for example, Robert Kraft personally called him from Israel, and told him he was saving lives.
New England Patriots:
We love the support that Carl Nassib has gotten. While groundbreaking from a historical standpoint, his willingness to share his story will not only blaze a trail for others to follow, but will positively impact the lives of many people he will likely never meet. His contribution to the Trevor Project highlights the significance of his announcement and will help save lives.
Boston Red Sox:
We applaud Carl Nassib’s courage and his efforts to create an accepting culture in sports through visibility, awareness, and support of organizations like the Trevor Project.
Boston Celtics:
Courage and progress go hand in hand, and we applaud Carl Nassib for both being true to himself and paving an easier path for the LGBTQ+ community going forward.
Boston Bruins:
The Boston Bruins applaud Carl Nassib for his leadership and courage in sharing his story, and hope that in doing so, he inspires all athletes and members of the sports community to confidently and comfortably express themselves.
In coming out, Nassib also pledged $100,000 to The Trevor Project, the number one suicide-prevention service for LGBTQ youth in America. “I just think that representation and visibility are so important,” Nassib said on Instagram in his video announcement.
“I actually hope that one day, videos like this and the whole coming out process are not necessary, “Nassib said, “but until then I will do my best and my part to cultivate a culture that’s accepting and compassionate and I’m going to start by donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project.”
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