Raiders DE Carl Nassib back at practice after personal day following Jon Gruden resignation
Back in June, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib made history by announcing himself as the first openly gay player on an active NFL roster, only to then learn roughly four months later that Jon Gruden, his head coach, had used racist, misogynistic and homophobic language in emails sent from 2010 through 2018.
Gruden resigned on Monday night, and Nassib requested and was given a personal day away from team activities on Wednesday. On Thursday, however, Nassib was back with his teammates.
"He requested a personal day today," Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said of Nassib on Wednesday. "He just said he’s got a lot to process, there’s a lot that’s been going on the last few days, and of course we support that request."
For what it's worth, Gruden publicly backed Nassib in June. "I learned a long time ago what makes a man different is what makes him great," the former coach said in a statement.
Thus far this season, Nassib has logged 1.5 sacks, nine total tackles, a forced fumble and a pair of quarterback hits.
The 3-2 Raiders, meanwhile, are attempting to focus on preparing for Sunday's matchup at the 3-2 Denver Broncos with assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia serving as their interim head coach.
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