Today, on National Coming Out Day, the National Football League announced its renewed support of The Trevor Project, the world's largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people. The NFL will work collaboratively with The Trevor Project on programming, training and more as a part of the league's ongoing effort to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization.
"The NFL's generous support of our life-affirming work not only helps us scale our crisis services for LGBTQ youth around the country and world, but it also spreads a message of love and acceptance directly to LGBTQ young people who may interact with the brand," said Leah Kartun, Corporate Partnerships Manager at The Trevor Project. "The massive national audience that the NFL reaches means that LGBTQ young people in all pockets of the U.S. could be reached with this affirmation – which can have a really meaningful impact on them feeling loved and part of a larger community who supports their existence."
"We're extremely proud to continue our partnership with The Trevor Project and work alongside them to expand our efforts around inclusivity and to continue to strengthen our relationship with the LGBTQ community," said Jonathan Beane, Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, NFL. "The work that The Trevor Project does to support LGBTQ youth and mental health is outstanding and we're excited to continue our work with an organization making an impact in countless lives around the world."
As a part of the partnership, the NFL Foundation will also be donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project, matching the donation made by Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Carl Nassib in 2022. In 2021, Nassib became the first active player in the NFL to come out as gay and donated $100,000 to the organization and the NFL matched his 2021 donation with an additional $100,000. In June 2022, Nassib announced his partnership with the organization and encouraged fans to donate to The Trevor Project to support the work of the organization and pledged to match donations up to $100,000.
Through the NFL's collaboration with The Trevor Project, subject matter experts from The Trevor Project will provide LGBTQ-focused education sessions to National Football League staff to help build greater awareness and competency around LGBTQ youth and LGBTQ mental health. In addition, NFL staff will have an opportunity to volunteer with The Trevor Project.
The NFL's support toward The Trevor Project is one of several ways the League supports LGBTQ communities. The League has collaborated with organizations such as GLAAD, Covenant House and others to uplift the LGBTQ community. In June 2022, the NFL became a founding sponsor of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center.
