Carl Nassib’s jersey instantly became Fanatics’ top seller
Seamus Fagan, CNN
Sports apparel retailer Fanatics said Carl Nassib has the top-selling NFL jersey on its network over the past two days.
ESPN was first to report the news.
Nassib, a defensive lineman with the Las Vegas Raiders, announced Monday that he is gay. He's the first active NFL player in league history to make such an announcement.
A spokesperson for Fanatics said that the company does not release specifics about sales figures.
The athlete, 28, has played five years with three teams and is entering his second season with the Raiders. He said in a statement accompanying a video announcement that he had agonized over the decision to share he was gay for 15 years.
Nassib added that he was a private person and wasn't seeking publicity.
"I just think that representation and visibility are so important," Nassib said in the video announcement. "I actually hope that one day videos like this and the whole coming out process are just not necessary. But until then, I'm going to do my best and do my part to cultivate a culture that's accepting, that's compassionate."
- Jill Martin and Steve Almasy contributed to this report
According to Outsports, there have been 16 out gay and bi football players in the NFL’s 101-year history, but none have been active players.
Michael Sam became the first openly gay player to be drafted by an NFL team in 2014, however, he only ended up playing in preseason games and on practice squads. He retired a year later due to "mental health reasons"
Earlier this year, News Channel 3's I-Team investigator Peter Daut spoke with David Kopay, the very first openly gay NFL player. Kopay made history when he came out in 1975. He was a respected running back who over nine years played on six NFL teams.
