'This is a milestone,' people in Maritime gay community say after NFL player's historic video
Members of the sporting community and the LGBTQ2S+ community in the Maritimes agree that NFL player Carl Nassib's announcement is an historic first -- one they hope will open doors in sport for many others going forward.
It was a short video, but one that will leave a lasting impact.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib took to Instagram Monday and announced he is gay, making him the first active National Football League player to do so.
"I was really excited," said Kris Burley, a retired Olympic gymnast, who is originally from Truro, N.S. who spent part of his career based in Fredericton.
As a gay former athlete himself, he says it took courage for Nassib to come out like this during his playing career.
"He did it on his terms," Burley said. "He was clearly comfortable with his message. I thought he was really articulate and I really love the fact that this was obviously a choice that he made."
Peter Steele is a former chair of Pride Cape Breton.
He says while a public figure coming out is nothing new, a man playing a stereotypically 'macho' sport like pro football is.
"This is a milestone," Steele said. "That's something men can relate to. So when women come out, men are not necessarily going to relate to that. If they're an actor, a singer, they're not necessarily going to relate to that. They're going to relate to a football player."
Lou Velocci is acting president of Football Nova Scotia.
"I was glad to see that others around him are rallying around that, I think it's great," Velocci said.
He says while a lot of work has been done over the years towards inclusivity in the sport.
This should only encourage more youth that the game is for everyone.
"I think it's great that people are coming out," Velocci said. "And you know, I think you'd have a lot more people that are happy if they had the opportunity to play football. Versus worrying about whether or not they fit the 'stereotype' of whatever."
Steele says there are closeted people in all walks of life -- including pro sports -- and that he'd like to see more athletes come out.
"You don't realize until they actually tell you. So kudos to Carl for doing this," Steele said.
Burley says the support Nassib has received shows things have changed a lot since his own competitive sporting days back in the 1990s. While there's still a ways to go, LGBTQ2S+ youth in sport have gotten an important message.
"That any young kid could look up to Carl and say 'Well, I want to be a football player,' or 'I want to be a hockey player,'" Burley said. "And if you're gay, that's OK."
Nassib made his post during Pride Month, planting the seed for acceptance with a brief -- but brave -- video that has a lot of people talking.
"But until then, I'm going to do my best and do my part to cultivate a culture that's accepting," Nassib said.
It's also worth noting that there has never been an openly gay National Hockey League player, though Peter Steele predicts that after this trailblazing event in the NFL, we'll see something similar from an NHLer sometime in the not too distant future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.