Silver Minings: Derek Carr says he and the Raiders have Carl Nassib’s back

Shortly after Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out as the NFL’s first openly gay active player last month, quarterback and team leader Derek Carr made a statement in support of his teammate.

“I have often said I love my teammates,” Carr said in a text message to several reporters. “I mean it. We always say we are a family in that Raider locker room, and we mean that too. I want to win a championship here with Carl and the rest of our teammates.”

Some people thought the statement was too vanilla and not overly personal. Yet this week, Carr made a much more passionate and strong statement of support for Nassib, who has been in contact since his announcement.

Appearing on Cris Collinsworth’s podcast, Carr said all of his teammates have Nassib’s back.

Carr told Collinsworth that as soon as he heard the news about Nassib’s announcement, he called him directly. “I said, ‘Carl, I love you, bro,’ and I said, ‘you know that I love you, and I’ve got your back no matter what. You’re my brother, and all I want to do is win a Super Bowl with you.’”

The QB went on to say, “Our team has been all for having his back … They all say, without a doubt, we have his back, and he’s our brother, so if you want to mess with him, you have to go through us.”

What a great, commendable way to support Nassib. Good on you, QB1.

In other Raiders’ links:

• O-line preview: The Athletic previews the Raiders’ 2021 offensive line.
• Waller is a bargain: Over The Cap thinks the contract of star tight end Darren Waller is the most team-friendly deal on the roster. Honestly, it’s one of the most team-friendly contracts in the entire NFL.
• Running back preview: The Raiders’ team website looks at a loaded running back group.