Over the summer, when Raiders pass rusher Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player to publicly come out as gay, coach Jon Gruden supported the defensive end, saying "what makes a man different is what makes him great." Nearly four months later, Gruden is out as Raiders coach in the wake of uncovered derogatory emails, some of which reportedly included homophobic language. In response to the scandal, Nassib requested and received a personal day from the Raiders, general manager Mike Mayock told reporters Wednesday.
"Carl Nassib, he and I spoke yesterday a couple of times," Mayock said while addressing the drama and subsequent staff changes in Las Vegas. "We spoke again today, (and) we're gonna meet again this afternoon. He requested a personal day today. He just said he's got a lot to process, there's been a lot that's been going on the last few days, and of course we support that request."
The 28-year-old Nassib had played for Gruden since 2020, when he signed with the team after a two-year stint with the Buccaneers. This June, he announced he was gay while pledging $100,000 to The Trevor Project, an organization dedicated to suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth.
Gruden offered public support for Nassib this year, but emails from 2010-2018 -- first reported by The New York Times and confirmed by CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora -- saw the coach and former ESPN analyst repeatedly use homophobic language, in addition to misogynistic comments about female referees. Among his reported remarks were criticism of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the league office for allegedly pressuring the Rams to draft "queers," a reference to St. Louis selecting openly gay prospect Michael Sam back in 2014.
