Carl Nassib says he agonized over the decision to announce he was gay in June 2021.

Nassib was released by the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this year and remains a free agent.

He told Good Morning America that he "stared at the phone for, like, an hour just looking at it, trying to hype myself up.

"The last thing I said was like, 'You know what -- for the kids.' And pressed post."

Nassib told Michael Strahan he wasn't concerned about reaction from his teammates, reiterating that he "was met with the most incredible support."

"I just wanted to show that it really doesn't matter -- your sexual orientation," he said.

Noting that he had some "difficult times" while considering making a public announcement, Nassib, 29, said he wants to tell kids who might be struggling that "they have support from a massive community of people.

"We are making strides in a positive direction," he said. "It won't be a perfect road, and we just have to continue the course and make sure that we do it from a place of love and not from a place of animosity."