Carl Nassib made history this past week by coming out as the NFL's first active openly gay player during the final weeks of Pride Month. However, according to NFL veteran Warren Moon, Nassib is one of many present and past gay NFL players-- though they were too nervous to make it public.
Moon, who began his career in the NFL in 1984 with the Houston Oilers, praised Nassib in a series of tweets last night while also discussing the increasing diversity and acceptance found in the NFL community today.
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"We live in a different time now where diversity is much more accepted. Cheers Carl, and I hope this lets other athletes know, its OK to say who you are," Moon wrote. Moon went on to commend past teammates who weren't able to come out as Nassib has: "I played with several guys who never were comfortable enough to go public. They were great teammates, & obviously very talented."
Surprisingly, Moon clarifies that teammates were never an obstacle in safely coming out-- "as long as they helped us win and were great teammates- their sexual preference was never a issue"-- placing more blame on franchises and fans for lack of acceptance.
Nassib's Instagram video announcement yesterday was met with considerable encouragement and support. However, Moon's tweets have been subject to a series of more mixed reactions. Multiple commenters criticized moon for his deduction of homosexuality to a "sexual preference"-- "Your support is great, yet its important to understand this is not about “sexual preference” but about who people are," a Twitter user wrote. Other users joined in on the support but look forward to a future that doesn't require large publicized announcements in order to come out.
Are you excited for a more accepting NFL? Check out the tweets and some reactions below:
https://twitter.com/_/status/1407152242440871941
https://twitter.com/_/status/1407152243858575360
https://twitter.com/_/status/1407289316984958977
https://twitter.com/_/status/1407333536424661000
https://twitter.com/_/status/1407153108468350977
https://twitter.com/_/status/1407347908589068298