'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Carl Nassib this week became the first active NFL player to come out as gay. And with his announcement, the Las Vegas Raiders defensive end joins a small group of openly gay men in professional sports.
Many of the history makers who preceded him shared in his joy.
Former NBA center Jason Collins, who came out in 2013 and became the first openly gay athlete in any of the four major U.S. sports leagues, wrote that he was "very proud" of Nassib.
"Incredibly happy for him and can't wait to watch him play this upcoming season!" Collins tweeted.
Collins only continued to play professionally for a few days after coming out. In 2014, under a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets, he made history again as the first openly gay man to play in an NBA game.
Nassib has a predecessor, too, in Michael Sam, who came out in 2014 ahead of the NFL draft. When he was eventually selected in the seventh round of the draft by the St. Louis Rams, he kissed his boyfriend in celebration -- a moment that was ridiculed by some fellow and former NFL players.
In a tweet, he thanked Nassib for "owning [his] truth" and for making a US$100,000 donation to the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention service for LGBTQ2S+ youth.
"LBGTQ people are more likely to commit suicide than heterosexuals," Sam wrote. "I hope and pray people will take note to this. Thank you again Carl and look forward to seeing you play on the field."
Sam never got to play with the Rams -- he was released by the team that same year, a decision former Rams coach Jeff Fisher said was purely motivated by the game, not Sam's sexuality.
NFL veteran Ryan Russell, who is bisexual, told CNN that Nassib's coming out is "a moment of celebration ... not only for Nassib as a person and as a player but for the NFL" and sports as a whole.
"I have no doubt that this announcement for Carl will enhance his game, will enhance his physical edge, his physical prowess and allow him to have hopefully the best season that we have seen him have in his career," Russell said in a Tuesday appearance on CNN's New Day.
Billy Bean, a former MLB player who now serves as the league's vice president and special assistant to the commissioner, came out only after he'd retired. He called Nassib's coming out a "big announcement" and thanked him. (In Minor League Baseball, David Denson, who was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers, came out in 2015 before retiring two years later.)
Robbie Rogers, a former professional soccer player with the Los Angeles Galaxy, came out in 2013 -- the first American soccer player to do so. He called Nassib's disclosure "inspiring."
In his social media announcement, Nassib spoke of the support he's received from his family and teammates and the overwhelming happiness he felt in asserting his sexuality.
Not every pro athlete who's come out has felt the same sense of joy and ease upon their announcement -- most of them came out before same-sex marriage was even legalized in the U.S. -- but they're sharing in Nassib's joy now and lifting him up while he makes history.
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.