Former NFL player Carl Nassib called UFC fighter Sean Strickland the “scum of humanity” after the fighter posted two more vile tweets about gay people.
“This guy is the absolute scum of humanity. Insane the UFC continues to give this guy a platform and a paycheck,” Nassib posted on an Instagram story, one of two he posted Monday after Strickland went after LGBTQ people again. Nassib, who retired from the NFL in 2023, came out as gay in 2021.
We have been cataloging Strickland’s anti-gay rants and the UFC’s silence and seeming defense of them for months, but what he wrote Monday was really disgusting.
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While I don’t enjoy giving Strickland’s views a wider audience, his platform is large (542,000 followers on X, and 1.9 million on Instagram) and they need to be seen to put what Nassib wrote in context.
Tweet 1 from Strickland:
I just look at gays like a form of retardation.. but I fully accept them
Could you imagine if we seen any species on this planet wake up one day and all chose to be gay
We would all think “wow there is clearly something wrong with that species”
Why are humans exempt? Come on.
Sean Strickland on X
All can’t take a joke
ARE YOU ALL [f—–] HIGH OR JUST WOKE STUPID?!
Why is it so difficult to admit that being gay is an abnormality
Be gay, be happy, we accept you
BUT
You’re a mammal that is human and you fail to do the one thing all mammals want to do. Lmao!! Come on!!
Sean Strickland
It’s all a joke, get it? And if you don’t, you’re “woke stupid.” Except there’s nothing funny about what Strickland wrote and it’s sick that UFC head Dana White continues to defend his fighter on the BS ground of “free speech.”
Free speech means that the government can’t prohibit speech on 1st Amendment grounds. It’s true that Strickland is free to say what he wants, but White using it as a defense shows he ignorant of the Constitution. Like any owner of a private business, White is free to condemn Strickland’s actions and even punish him, even while Strickland enjoys free speech. Free does not mean without consequences.
What’s weird is that White at one time understood that speech has consequences when he said in 2014 about a UFC fighter’s transphobia: “Work at any company anywhere in America, and go out and say ignorant, stupid stuff, publicly, say it publicly … and see what happens to you.”
It’s clear that Nassib was aware of Strickland’s past homophobia since he posted on Instagram that he had reached out to the fighter a few weeks ago with the following message:
“What’s up Sean. I really don’t appreciate all the hate and negativity you have towards the gay community.
You’re constantly talking about killing influencers and how much hate you have for people like me. I’ve never watched UFC or seen you compete but I’ve been hearing about you lately and it’s [f—–] up.
I’m asking you as a man and fellow competitor to please lay off my community moving forward You’ll inspire people who are influenced by you to hurt people like me and nobody wants that.
Carl Nassib
The message clearly was seen by Strickland, with Nassib writing, “I would tag him but he blocked me on Insta after I sent him this message weeks ago. Realllllly tough guy.”
It’s clear that Strickland revels in being the “anti-woke crusader” defending family values and loves spewing hateful things about the LGBTQ community under guise of some warped sense of who knows what. It’s great that Nassib is using his platform to call him out and try to get the UFC to show some sense of responsibility about letting Strickland continued unfettered.
