Site icon Side Action

Michael Sam Reacts to Raiders’ Carl Nassib Announcing He’s Gay

Before there was Carl Nassib, there was Michael Sam. In order for Nassib to walk, Michael Sam had to crawl. The Raiders defensive lineman came out in a statement posted to his Instagram account on Monday, becoming the first active player in the league to publicly identify as gay.

Nassib’s announcement, made during Pride Month, makes him the first openly gay active player in the league’s 101-year history.

Former NFL player Michael Sam announced he was gay, but he never ended up playing in the NFL following his coming out announcement. The Rams who drafted Sam, cut him during training camp. He then landed on the Cowboys practice squad, but never ended up playing in a game.

Sam took to IG to post a message following the historic moment.

See below:

[sportsbookaffiliates]

He also took to IG to share a message:

Unfortunately Sam left the N.F.L. without making an impact on the field.

But his coming out definitely set the stage for Nassib.


Welcome to the game outside the game! Follow us on our Sideaction Twitter handle, Instagram, and Facebook for the latest on sports and pop culture news across the web!