Michael Sam made major headlines before the NFL Draft last year when he announced he is gay, becoming the first player entering the league to do so. On Thursday, Sam again acknowledged that there are many gay players currently in the NFL, but unwilling to come out publicly, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Michael Sam says gay NFL players ‘do not have the same courage’ to come out
Sam is confident that he’s not the one and only gay player in the NFL today.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
“I am not the only gay person in the NFL,” Sam said Thursday. “I’m just saying there is a lot of us. I respect the players that did reach out to me and had the courage to tell me that they were also gay, but they do not have the same courage as I do to come out before I even played a down in the NFL.
“The players who have reached out to me and told me about their sexual orientation, it just means a lot. But I will never say anything about who they are, what teams they are (on). I’m just saying there’s some famous people, and I’m not the only one.”
This news does not come as a huge surprise. There have been former NFL players who eventually announced that they were gay, including Dave Kopay of Washington and Roy Simmons. Sam remains the only player who ever came out while still being active.
After being drafted in the seventh-round last year by the St. Louis Rams, Sam had a decent showing in training camp but was released. The Dallas Cowboys picked him up and placed him on the practice squad, but released him before he saw any game action.
Sam recently worked out at the inaugural NFL Veterans Combine in Phoenix, Ariz., for a litany of NFL scouts and executives, but is yet to get a contract. Currently, Sam is appearing on Dancing With The Stars to make some money, but his goal remains to make it back to the NFL.
“Hopefully I’m not being discriminated (against) because I’m gay,” Sam said. “I don’t believe that I’m being discriminated (against) because I’m gay. I just want to know if I’m truly not in the NFL, it’s because of talent. Let it be because of my talents. But you’ve got to prove that I can’t play this game. If you look at the film, clearly I can. So, I’ll leave it at that.”
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