NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell praises ex-Penn State DL Carl Nassib’s courage

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell praised former Penn State DL Carl Nassib for revealing he is the first active gay player in the league 

Former Penn State Football standout and current Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib made history Monday, becoming the first active NFL player to come out as gay, which drew praise from commissioner Roger Goodell.

"“The NFL family is proud of Carl for courageously sharing his truth today,” Goodell’s said in a statement released by the league. “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 bast of luck this upcoming season.”"

Previously, Michael Sam announced that he was gay prior to the 2014 NFL Draft, where he was chosen by the Rams in the seventh-round, but never made an active NFL roster.

Nassib’s announcement takes significant courage, because in all likelihood he will be returning to an NFL locker room for training camp later this summer, which will be the first test of Goodell’s call to march towards equality and representation.

Following his announcement Monday, Nassib also revealed that he will be donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project,, a suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ youth.

Nassib originally walked on to Penn State Football, before being chosen by the Cleveland Browns in the third-round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Through the first five seasons of his career, Nassib has produced 143 total tackles, 20.5 sacks, and intercepted one pass.