New on SI: Supporting Gay Athletes is a Matter of Respect

Carl Nassib made headlines this week when he took to social media to announce he was gay. The Las Vegas Raiders defenseman became the first active NFL player to come out as gay. Since his announcement he’s had the top selling NFL jersey on the sports apparel company Fanatics. Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann, who played with Jerry Smith-a gay athlete and one of the first professional athletes to be diagnosed with AIDS-talked about the importance of respect, regardless of someone’s sexual orientation or lifestyle choices.