From L to R: Saquon Barkley, Carl Nassib and JJ Wat.Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty Images; AP/Shutterstock; Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
The professional football community is rallying aroundCarl Nassibafter the Las Vegas Raiders defensive endcame out as gayon Monday.
“Much respect brudda ✊🏾,” wrote Barkley, 24,alongside a retweetof Nassib’s Monday announcement video.
Edelman, 35, called Nassib’s announcementan “awesome moment,“praising his $100,000 donation toThe Trevor Projectas a “very classy move.”
WroteJJ Wattin his own retweet, “Good for you Carl. Glad you feelcomfortable enough to shareand hopefully someday these types of announcements will no longer be considered breaking news.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
RELATED GALLERY:19 Celebs Share Their Emotional Coming Out Stories
Nassib, 28, became thefirst active NFL player to publicly come out, saying in a video filmed at his home 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.”
“I’m a pretty private person, so I hope you guys know that I’m really not doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important,” he continued in the video, which he sharedin an Instagram post. “I actually hope that one day, videos like this and the whole coming-out process are just not necessary.”
“I’m really pumped for what the future holds,” the Penn State University alum added in his video message.
“We’re proud of you, Carl. ❤️,” the official NFL account commented on his post. The Las Vegas Raiders alsoshared Nassib’s statement on Twitter, writing, “Proud of you, Carl.”
RELATED VIDEO: Sophie Turner Celebrates Pride Month: “Time Isn’t Straight and Neither Am I”
NFL commissionerRoger Goodelleven issueda statement of his ownfollowing Nassib’s coming-out video.
“The NFL family is proud of Carl for courageously sharing his truth today. Representation matters,” wrote Goodell, 62. “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.”
Listen below toour daily podcast PEOPLE Every Dayfor more on Carl Nassib.
While a number of NFL pros have come out after their careers, an openly gay player hasnever played in a regular season game, according to NBC Sports.Michael Samcame out in 2014 and became thefirst openly gay player to be drafted, but only played in the preseason, NPR reported.
Nassib added in his written statement that he feels “especially thankful to have had so much support when many who came before — and many even now — do not.”
“I stand on the shoulders of giants, incredible people who paved the way for me to have this opportunity,” he said. “I do not know all the history behindour courageous LGBTQ community, but I am eager to learn and to help continue the fight for equality and acceptance.”
source: people.com
