AP Photo/Jeff Bottari
- Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out as gay on Monday.
- Nassib became the NFL's first openly gay active player.
- One day later, Nassib owned the top-selling NFL jersey spot on digital sports retailer Fanatics.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib saw a surge in popularity after coming out as the NFL's first openly gay player. His new transcendent fame has even pushed his jersey to the top of the charts league's retail charts.
Nassib has the best-selling jersey on digital sports retailer Fanatics, dating back to his announcement on Monday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
-Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 22, 2021
Nassib's surging jersey sales are the latest examples of the overwhelming support he's received from the NFL community.
Several high-profile players across the league have publicly expressed their support for Nassib and his decision to come out, including New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, Arizona Cardinals defensive end JJ Watt, and former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell even made a public statement praising Nassib and said the league would match his donation of $100,000 to The Trevor Project, a leading LGBTQ+ charity aimed at combatting the high rates of suicide among queer kids and young adults.
"The NFL family is proud of Carl for courageously sharing his truth today," Goodell said in a statement. "Representation matters. 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."
Check out Nassib's coming out Instagram post - and the outpouring of support from across the sports world in the comments - below: