Carl Nassib takes break in aftermath of Jon Gruden controversy
Carl Nassib, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end, and the first openly gay player in the league, took a personal day on Wednesday following the resignation of his head coach, Jon Gruden.
Gruden resigned on Monday after a story came out detailing inappropriate communications via email from 2010 to 2018. Among Gruden’s offensive comments, exposed by the New York Times, were homophobic sentiments.
In the emails, Gruden called the league’s commissioner Roger Goodell an offensive homophobic slur, among other things. He also criticized the Rams for drafting Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted, in 2014.
Carl Nassib came out on June 22 in an Instagram post.
“I just want to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” Nassib said in a video. “I just think that representation and visibility are so important. I actually hope that, like, one day, videos like this and the whole coming-out process are just not necessary. Until then I’m going to do my best and my part to cultivate a culture that’s accepting, that’s compassionate.
“Sadly, I have agonized over this moment for the last 15 years,” he wrote in the post, while also thanking his coaches and teammates for their support.
The Penn State alum is in his second season with the Raiders and fifth in the NFL. The Cleveland Browns drafted him in the third round of the 2016 draft. The Browns waived Nassib in 2018, allowing him to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nassib’s contract with the Raiders is for three years, $25 million. He’s having a decent year so far with nine tackles, including 1.5 sacks.
Gruden resigns after emails exposed
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden later informed his staff he planned to resign as the Raiders head coach on Monday, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Gruden’s resignation comes after uncovered emails showed the Raiders head coach used racist, misogynistic and homophobic language.
Last week, a story released by the Wall Street Journal describing an email sent by Gruden back in July of 2011 to have contained the use of a racist trope. It was directed at NFL Player’s Association executive director DeMaurice Smith.
“Dumboriss Smith has lips the size of Michelin tires,” Gruden wrote in the email, per Andrew Beaton of The Wall Street Journal.
Gruden sent the email during a lockout by the players over the 2011 summer. He sent the email after the NFLPA chose not to vote on a collective bargaining agreement ratified by the league’s owners. At the time of the email, Gruden was a color commentator for ESPN. During that time, he was one of the analysts for the network’s Monday Night Football telecast.