Tom Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on an epic comeback victory Monday night over the New Orleans Saints. And he couldn’t have done it without Carl Nassib.

The first out gay active player in NFL history came through with two huge defensive plays to help Brady notch his record-setting 44th career comeback victory.

On the big stage of “Monday Night Football,” Nassib delivered. Not as some sort of symbol, but as a damn good football player.

That’s the way it should be.

The Saints were close to putting the Buccaneers away for good, driving down the field deep into Tampa Bay territory midway through the fourth quarter. A touchdown would’ve given them a three-possession lead. On 3rd-and-2, Andy Dalton attempted to find Alvin Kamara, the Saints’ best playmaker.

But Nassib deflected the pass, forcing New Orleans to settle for a field goal. The Buccaneers still had a chance, and some momentum.

A few minutes later, Brady found tight end Cade Otton in the end zone, putting the Bucs within six points. But there were only three minutes left.

A couple of Saints first downs would’ve iced the contest. Instead, they went 3-and-out.

Nassib sacked Dalton on 2nd down, driving him 10 yards backwards. It was the best defensive play of the night.

The Bucs scored on their next possession, and walked away with an incredible 17-16 win. They are back at .500, and firmly in control of the NFC South.

When the Buccaneers signed Nassib last August, it wasn’t because they were looking for positive PR. They entered the season as Super Bowl favorites, and signed Nassib because they needed more firepower up front.

Despite Nassib’s historical significance, he’s what he always wanted to be: just another football player.

That doesn’t mean Nassib is shying away from his status as an out gay pro football star. On Monday, he was rocking cleats in support of The Trevor Project, making him the only NFL player to support an LGBTQ-specific charity during the league’s annual My Cause My Cleats initiative.

The defensive end has actively supported The Trevor Project since publicly coming out in June 2021, donating $100,000 to the organization. The Trevor Project’s reported total revenue jumped from $29 million the year before Nassib came out, to $52 million the following fiscal year.

That’s one way for Nassib to make an impact. The other way is his excellence on the gridiron.

On Monday night, he accomplished both.

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