Last week, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib announced via his social media accounts last week that he was gay, becoming the first active NFL player to do so.
Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Buffalo Bills pass rusher Bruce Smith was recently discussing Nassib’s decision to do so via TMZ. Smith supported Nassib but added it was not shocking for him to hear.
That’s because Smith, who played for the Bills from 1985 until 1999, said Buffalo had one, potentially two, players on their roster that the rest of the locker room knew were gay. It wasn’t a big deal though, he said.
“We had a gay player in our locker room,” Smith told TMZ. “I think it was the mid-to-late-90s, and I think we might have had two. But that wasn’t what we were focused on. We were focused on winning games. And each and every person that was in that locker room was contributing to the goal at hand, which was winning football games. None of that other stuff mattered.”
Smith had a personal note for Nassib as well.
“Obviously, we like to see the inclusion part. We like to see folks that understand that the world is changing and you have to embrace those that may be a little bit different and it’s OK,” Smith said.
The inclusion part is something that Nassib himself mentioned as well. When making his announcement, Nassib made note to say he hopes one day players don’t have to proclaim such a thing. His hope is that it will just be accepted.
“I’m Carl Nassib. I’m at my house here in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest,” Nassib said. “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.”
For video of Smith’s interview, see the attached video below:
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