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like this and the whole coming out process are just not necessary." Nassib announced that he is donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project, a na- tional organization providing crisis in- tervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans- gender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ ) young people under 25. Nassib began his Penn State career as a walk-on in 2011 and didn't see any game action until he was a redshirt sophomore in 2013. He appeared in 10 games that year and finished with 12 tackles, in- cluding a sack. The following season, he played in all 13 games, finishing with seven tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Prior to his final season at Penn State, Nassib had never started a game at either the high school or college level. But he won a starting defensive end spot head- ing into the 2015 campaign, and he went on to enjoy one of the best seasons ever by a Nittany Lion defensive player. Nassib set the school record for most sacks in a season with 15.5, and he also forced six fumbles, the most by a Penn State player since 2002, when Michael Haynes forced seven. He played only a handful of snaps against Michigan and Michigan State due to an injury, but he still claimed consensus All-America honors and won the Lombardi Award, the Ted Hendricks Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy. He was the first Penn Stater to claim three major awards since Larry Johnson in 2002. In April 2016, Nassib was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He played two sea- sons in Cleveland before being waived and later signed by Tampa Bay. After two seasons with the Buccaneers, Nas- sib signed a three-year, $25 million con- tract with Las Vegas in March 2020. Heading into the 2021 season, he has 20.5 career sacks, 16 pass deflections, three forced fumbles and an intercep- tion. Following Nassib's announcement, James Franklin issued a statement in which he lauded his former player "for his courage and voice." "This announcement doesn't surprise me, because if you know Carl, you know his strength," Franklin said. "Carl's story continues to add chapters, which will have an impact well beyond the field of play. "His care and love of those around him, particularly those in need, has al- ways been obvious. His generosity and advocacy for The Trevor Project is yet another shining example of his huge heart. He has inspired [wife] Fumi and I to donate $10,000 to The Trevor Project as well. "Carl's brave announcement will forge a path for others to be true to their au- thentic self. I was proud of Carl when he led the nation in sacks, but I'm even more proud of him now." ■ S I T E L I N E S B W I . R I V A L S . C O M R E A D E R S W E I G H I N Good for him. He's a good guy and I'm happy that he doesn't have to live his life in secret. Hope he continues to do well and represent Penn State as a leader. stneumann83 Love his simple message, and it is super important to many. Like he kinda said, hopefully one day it won't be important, will become normal. But for today and for so many, including several loved ones, it is a very big and in- credibly brave moment. cronk I agree with him completely that someday we can hope that the entire "coming out" process isn't necessary. Hopefully we'll be there sooner rather than later. PSUArnie I'm glad Carl had the courage to come out and say this. This is something that affects a lot of people as they struggle to come to terms with something that society has a history of demonizing people for. It's certainly not easy to publicly admit this even today. I love me some Carl Nassib. MikeDerukey Good for him. My partner and I have had eight season tickets and a home in State College for years. We were always accepted and love going to the games every year with family and friends. joetrip I think by virtue of even the comments here, while I'm sure this is in- credibly challenging for him to push through on the announcement, the overwhelming majority of people's thoughts aren't negative anymore, they're mostly "cool, bro." I'm happy he doesn't have to hide himself any- more. jrs1024 I saw the announcement and was very happy to see that Carl elected to live his truth publicly. I was admittedly concerned about the reception online, but I'm certainly glad to see the small but mighty PSU family on this board be so supportive. shox If this helps even one kid and helps prevent a suicide, it's worth it. Very courageous of Carl. Bravo. ptomaselli

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