Sept. 6 (UPI) — In a bittersweet Instagram post, veteran pass rusher Carl Nassib announced his retirement after seven seasons in the NFL. Nassib made history as the league’s first openly gay active player and will now focus on his company Rayze, an app that connects people and nonprofits.
“It feels like just yesterday when I was starting out as a walk-on at Penn State. Football has given me more than I could have ever imagined. With over 100 NFL games and seven seasons under my belt, I can hang up my helmet knowing I gave it my all,” Nassib said.
Nassib, who was selected in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, began his career with the Cleveland Browns before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three seasons. He spent the last two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Last season, Nassib recorded 23 combined tackles and 3.5 sacks in 13 games for the Buccaneers. Throughout his career, he amassed 187 combined tackles and 25.5 sacks in 99 regular-season appearances, along with five combined tackles in two playoff games.
“I always loved how fun football was. The pursuit of perfection and the dream of playing in the NFL drove me. It’s been a dream come true, and I consider myself the luckiest guy on the planet,” Nassib expressed.
In 2021, Nassib made his public coming out announcement. He thanked his friends, family, teammates, coaches, front office personnel, God, and his agent Brian Ayrault for their unwavering support.
“Brian was the first person in the football industry I came out to, and he stood by me unconditionally. With his encouragement, I decided to make a significant impact with my announcement,” Nassib shared.
