Via ESPN: Michael Sam, an All-American defensive lineman from Missouri and the Associated Press’ SEC Defensive Player of the Year, said that he is gay in an interview with ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” on Sunday. Sam stated publicly what his teammates and coaches at Mizzou have known since August: “I am an openly, proud gay man.” Sam is eligible for the NFL draft in May. Assuming that he is drafted, Sam could become the first openly gay player in the history of the NFL. “I understand how big this is,” he said. “It’s a big deal. No one has done this before. And it’s kind of a nervous process, but I know what I want to be … I want to be a football player in the NFL.”
Here is the ESPN OTL video from last night.
Before I get started, let me just say how proud I am of Michael Sam. However this turns out, I’m rooting for this guy. It’s going to be a long, tedious road through the next few months and beyond and I hope he has a strong team of family, friends and advisors that will be there for him when things get tough…
Because they will get tough. Let’s not be naive and think that this will go seamlessly. As much as I hope that this story blows over and no one talks about Michael’s sexual orientation over the next few months, I know that won’t be the case. People will talk about these things. ESPN 2s First Take will probably talk about it every day until the NFL draft and then talk about it every day after that. There will be numerous blogs and articles written about every possible angle of this story because that’s just the way the media is today. I’m so impressed that the Missouri family was able to keep this to themselves over the last six months or so. The fact that people were willing to put this man and his wishes ahead of their own potential personal, professional and, let’s be honest, financial gain is so very impressive. I wanted to make sure that I had the opportunity to say good job and good luck Mr. Sam. I am rooting for him 100 percent of the way. I hope he gets drafted into a good organization and have a top notch career.
P.S. Hey Buffalo Bills front office. Pretty sure we could find a spot for this guy.
