College football star Michael Sam, star defensive lineman for the University of Missouri, told the New York Times he is gay. Sam, who earned the 2013 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and was named All-American team, came to his team and coaches during the pre-season.
“I looked in their eyes, and they just started shaking their heads — like, finally, he came out,” Sam said Sunday to the Times. "Once I became official to my teammates, I knew who I was. I knew that I was gay. And I knew that I was Michael Sam, who's a Mizzou football player who happens to be gay. I was so proud of myself and I just didn't care who knew. If someone on the street would have asked me, ‘Hey, Mike, I heard you were gay. Is that true?' I would have said yes."
Sam graduated last December and is likely to be drafted to the NFL, which would make him the league's first openly gay player. Good for him, and if he is drafted, it could be a watershed moment for both professional sports and LGBT visibility.
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