One day after dominating headlines by becoming the first openly gay active NFL player, former Penn State football star Carl Nassib is breaking the mold in a new way.

Nassib’s No. 94 Las Vegas Raiders jersey is now the top-selling NFL jersey through Fanatics’ entire network, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Raiders’ DE Carl Nassib is the top-selling NFL jersey across the @Fanatics’ network both yesterday and today.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 22, 2021

The hike in Nassib jersey purchases shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise following Thursday’s outpouring of support following his announcement. James Franklin, current and former teammates, and even personalities like ESPN’s Mina Kimes quickly and strongly applauded Nassib’s courage and character.

In his announcement, Nassib emphasized the importance of representation and visibility. He also said he will donate $100,000 to The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization for LGBTQA+ youth.

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A post shared by Carl Nassib (@carlnassib)

“I hope one day that videos like this and the whole coming out process are just not necessary,” Nassib said. “But until then, I will do my best and my part to cultivate a culture that’s accepting and compassionate.”

Although Nassib is the first openly gay player in today’s NFL, he’s far from the first in the league’s history. Former St. Louis Ram Michael Sam made history by coming out ahead of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Nassib first joined the NFL in 2016 as one of the Cleveland Browns’ third-round draft picks. He spent two seasons with the Browns, another two with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and is entering his second with the Las Vegas Raiders. To date, the defensive end has racked up 20.5 sacks in the NFL.

With the Nittany Lions, Nassib set the single-season sack record with 15.5 in 2015 and forced six fumbles to cap off a historic season. He’s widely considered one of the top walk-on players in Penn State football history.

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