Carl Nassib

Carl Paul Nassib was born on April 12, 1993, in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He attended Malvern Preparatory School, where he excelled in football as an offensive tackle and defensive end, lettering three times. He also lettered in basketball and track and field. After high school, Nassib walked on to the Penn State Nittany Lions football team in 2011. He played sparingly in his sophomore and junior years, recording 12 tackles and one sack in 2013 and seven tackles and one sack in 2014. His senior year in 2015 marked a breakout season for Nassib, where he became a starter and achieved 10 sacks in the first six games. During this year, he received unanimous All-American honors, was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and won prestigious awards including the Lombardi Award, Lott Trophy, and Ted Hendricks Award, recognizing him as one of the nation’s top defensive players.

Nassib was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft as the 65th overall pick. In his NFL debut against the Philadelphia Eagles, he recorded one sack and three tackles, earning a nomination for Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week. He played for the Browns for two seasons, starting in 2017. In 2018, Nassib was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he set career highs with 6.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss. He continued with the Buccaneers for a second season, totaling 12.5 sacks over two years with the team. In 2020, Nassib signed a three-year, $25 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. During his time with the Raiders, in Week 10 of the 2020 season, he recorded his first career interception. In 2021, Nassib became the first active NFL player to publicly come out as gay. In a Monday Night Football game, he strip-sacked Lamar Jackson, contributing to a Raiders victory and making history as the first openly gay player to play in a regular-season NFL game.

Following his tenure with the Raiders, Nassib returned to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022. He announced his retirement from the NFL on September 6, 2023, concluding a seven-season career. Beyond his on-field achievements, Nassib has been a notable advocate for LGBTQ+ youth, notably pledging and matching donations to The Trevor Project, a crisis intervention and suicide prevention organization. He has also launched Rayze, a social media app focused on connecting people with nonprofits and promoting positivity within charitable giving.