Superfan Carl Nassib Opens Up about Being a Swiftie

Carl Nassib, the NFL's only out active player, shared his thoughts about Taylor Swift, her new album, and whether other pro ball players are swifties like him.

In a Nov. 1 chat with Interview Magazine, the 29-year-old outside linebacker raved about Swift, describing how he's been a longtime fan since his high school days and sharing his assessment of the pop star's new album, "Midnights."

Hearkening back to the start of his fandom, Nassib pinpointed "Speak Now" as the first Swift album he ever heard, and recalled that "all my buddies, my whole friend group, we were all listening to 'Long Live.' And I was like, 'Oh, man, this is a really, really good song.' And then I heard her songs at prom, and all that stuff. And I was like, 'Man, she's awesome.'"

Nassib called "Midnights" "the sort of album you'd play when you're at a dinner party. Where, with 'Folklore' and 'Evermore,' that's what I'd play when I'm by myself and in my feelings. So there are definitely more fun songs on this album."

"But it's only been one week," Nassib added. "I feel like, with Taylor's albums, they have to marinate for a month for you to really get all the lyrics and the ideas, stuff like that."

What he can say at this early date, though, is that "I think she just hit the nail on the head. It's the perfect amount of pop."

But is he all alone in the NFL, or are there others like him who might not be so visible?

While he couldn't say that his Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammate and purported GOAT Tom Brady is a fellow swiftie, Nassib declared that he was "One-thousand percent" sure that there are other hardcore Taylor Swift fans playing in the NFL. "I can't even count how many people came up to me in my building, and amongst my friends, to ask me about the album because they all know I'm a diehard T-Swift fan," Nassib related, "and my response has been, 'It's perfection.'"

This isn't the first time Nassib has spoken publicly about his love for Swift and her music. Last month the pro athlete told Men's Health that when he brought up Swift in a famed moment on HBO's "Hard Knocks," back before he left the closet behind, he wasn't "overcompensating" or trying to pass as straight.

"I would be in a platonic relationship with Taylor Swift in five seconds!" Nassib declared. "I'm in love with Taylor Swift. I almost bought a Rollie just to be her friend, not even to date her. She doesn't hang out with any fucking nerds. She only hangs out with rich, exciting people."