If it’s on Instagram, it’s official.
Carl Nassib, the first out gay NFL player to play in the regular season, is dating Olympic swimmer Soren Dahl. The couple went public with posts on Instagram to mark the new year.
“Kicking off 2023 with my man and a trip to the playoffs,” Nassib wrote in an Instagram story. The linebacker is in his second stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and helped lead his team to an NFC South division title this season. He first came out in the summer of 2021 ahead of his final season with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Dahl also shared a collection of photos with Nassib as well as snapshots from the sideline at Buccaneers games. In one of the pictures, Dahl is giving Nassib a piggyback ride while Nassib leans in to kiss him.
“Always Big Boy Season,” Dahl wrote.
View this post on Instagram
Dahl and Nassib, both 29, have posted photos together before — and one time, Nassib commented with several hearts. But this is the first time they’ve officially gone public about their relationship.
Dahl, who is Danish, participated in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil. He was also standout student-athlete at North Carolina State.
Nassib, a Pennsylvania native who played college football at Penn State, has totaled 23 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three pass deflections, one fumble recovery, and six quarterback hits in 13 games this season, including one start. He was originally drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2016.
Seven years before Nassib came out, defensive end Michael Sam became the first out gay player selected in the NFL Draft when he joined the St. Louis Rams in 2014. He was released before the regular season and subsequently joined the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad, but never saw game action. Sam eventually moved on to play for the Barcelona Dragons in Europe.
RK Russell, a defensive end who spent time with the Bills, Cowboys, and Buccaneers, came out as bisexual when he was a free agent in 2019. He has not been signed since then.
