June 23, 2021
After Coming Out as Gay, Sales for Carl Nassib's Jersey Skyrocket
Emell Adolphus READ TIME: 1 MIN.
After coming out as gay in an Instagram post, Carl Nassib is officially the LGBTQ sports MVP as sales for his Las Vegas Raiders jersey have since skyrocketed, ESPN reported.
"In the 24 hours since Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player to come out as gay, the Las Vegas Raiders defensive end's jersey has been the top-selling item across the league, according to Fanatics," ESPN reports. "Fanatics, the NFL's official e-commerce partner, said Nassib has had the top-selling NFL jersey Monday and Tuesday across the company's network of online stores."
During his coming out announcement, Nassib pledged to donate $100,000 to the Trevor Project. In turn, the NFL announced on Tuesday that it will match that donation.
In a show of support, President Joe Biden wrote on Twitter: "To Carl Nassib and Kumi Yokoyama - two prominent, inspiring athletes who came out this week: I'm so proud of your courage. Because of you, countless kids around the world are seeing themselves in a new light today."
In a statement on Monday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league "is proud of Carl for courageously sharing his truth."
"Representation matters," Goodell said, ESPN reports. "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 best of luck this coming season."
Go Raiders!
