Nassib’s debut as an openly gay NFL player is a big deal

Raider Nation was its usual eclectic self for the season opener in Las Vegas on Monday, with some fans going with a Captain Jack Sparrow-meets-darth Vader vibe that nicely complemented the team's new $1.9-billion “Death Star” stadium.

One fan in particular caught my eye because while he was dressed like middle management, the Chucky doll he was carrying — a tribute to coach Jon Gruden — was decked out head to toe in Raiders gear. Assuming it had toes.

Anyway, I guess because there was so much color from all around to soak in, it felt strange not seeing a rainbow, given the moment.

The lack of hoopla during the preseason was a pretty good hint that the first game for the Raiders' Carl Nassib, the NFL'S first openly gay player, wasn't going to be treated as a momentous occasion. Certainly nowhere near the kind of fanfare the NBA'S Jason Collins received in 2013 when he became the first openly gay active player in any of the big four sports leagues.

Still, while no one expected a parade, the death of this NFL bogeyman warranted a bigger funeral. But I didn't see anything in the stadium adorned with priderelated paraphernalia to mark the presence of Nassib, who posted a video on Instagram in June sharing that he was gay.

Now, he may have wanted it that way, and good on him. He deserves the reception he wants. I just don't want people to start acting like it wasn't as recently as 2018 that at least one team was