First openly gay CFL player, Michael Sam jos ELF's Barcelona Dragons as ach - 3DownNatn

Contents:

• REMEMBERG MICHAEL SAM'S NFL, CFL REER AFTER RAIRS' CARL NASSIB ANNOUNC HE'S GAY
• MICHAEL SAM FOC ON FOOTBALL, NOT MAKG HISTORY AS CFL'S 1ST OPENLY GAY PLAYER
• A YEAR AFTER MICHAEL SAM, THE CFL REMAS MTED TO WELG GAY ATHLET
• FIRST OPENLY GAY CFL PLAYER, MICHAEL SAM JOS ELF’S BARCELONA DRAGONS AS ACH
• MICHAEL SAM, FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER CFL, SET TO MAKE LEAGUE BUT
• KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY
• JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
• TOMMY GAY
• JOSH CAVALLO BE ONE OF THE FEW PROFSNAL MEN'S FOOTBALLERS TO E OUT AS GAY
• GAY OR BISEXUAL PLAYERS ON EVERY PRO FOOTBALL TEAM, SAYS FORMER U.S. FOOTBALLER
• JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH AND NDNG ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY
• CARL NASSIB IS THE FIRST ACTIVE NFL PLAYER TO COME OUT AS GAY

REMEMBERG MICHAEL SAM'S NFL, CFL REER AFTER RAIRS' CARL NASSIB ANNOUNC HE'S GAY

On Monday night, Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player to e out as gay, but that raised a key qutn among some NFL fans. "I am an openly, proud gay man, " Sam said, per. Was Michael Sam the NFL's first openly gay player?

Michael Sam was the first openly gay player to be drafted to the NFL. Why is Carl Nassib nsired the NFL's first active gay player?

MICHAEL SAM FOC ON FOOTBALL, NOT MAKG HISTORY AS CFL'S 1ST OPENLY GAY PLAYER

Carl Nassib is officially the first ACTIVE NFL player to e out as gay. So, long story short, Sam was the first openly gay player to be drafted to the NFL.

Nassib is the first active NFL player — who has been on a 53-man roster, has played durg the regular season and is still playg — to e out as gay. 9, 2014 — Sam officially announc that he is gay terviews wh the New York Tim and ESPN.

He be the CFL's first openly gay player. CFLMichael Sam foc on football, not makg history as CFL's 1st openly gay playerOn the verge of beg the first openly gay athlete to play the CFL, Michael Sam pledged his support to Montreal's LGBT muny but sisted he's "jt here to play football" at Tuday's news nference troducg him as the newt member of the gay pass sher signs 2-year al wh Montreal Alouett'I jt want to play football'CBC's Suhana Meharchand terviews the CFL's jt-acquired Michael SamOn the verge of beg the first openly gay athlete to play the Canadian Football League, Michael Sam pledged his support to Montreal's LGBT muny but sisted he's "jt here to play football" at Tuday's news nference troducg him as the newt member of the is the first openly gay player to be drafted by an Natnal Football League team.

A YEAR AFTER MICHAEL SAM, THE CFL REMAS MTED TO WELG GAY ATHLET

"I have a rponsibily to handle myself the right way and rry myself the right way so future athlet who may be straight, gay, bisexual, whatever, they n be spired jt by what I'm dog. One year after Michael Sam beme the first openly-gay athlete to play a CFL game, the league aga has no players who have publicly e suggt Sam's brief experience wh the Montreal Alouett (om May to Augt 2015) or the current lack of openly-gay CFL players rerc the belief that gay athlet aren't wele the locker room of a profsnal sports team would be wrong, however.

Numero people om those groups who spoke to 55-Yard Le this week said the CFL is not only at or near the ont of profsnal sports leagu when to acceptg profsnal players and staff regardls of their sexualy, but also more than ready to embrace the next openly-gay athlete that s Sam's stt the CFL may have been short, , and the way the league handled , had a substantial impact.

CFL director of munitns Plo Senra, who is openly gay and had worked wh You Can Play prr to arrivg at the CFL, said the league's actns around Sam ma him feel weled.

FIRST OPENLY GAY CFL PLAYER, MICHAEL SAM JOS ELF’S BARCELONA DRAGONS AS ACH

And even if there isn't a player the CFL who is gay, he knows that his players need to get to a space life where they're havg the typ of hard nversatns. It's jt as important to create a safe space for ont-office staff as is for players, bee this ia that sports are homophobic don't jt impact players, also impacts the people who are makg the magic happen om their sks. "Davis, a former NFL player wh the Tans, Seahawks and Redsks, said part of the reason there aren't more openly-gay players profsnal sports isn't about pro sports leagu, but about the larger world.

"One of the myths about sports and specifilly locker rooms is that players who intify as gay show up there wh the tentn of g out, " he said.

MICHAEL SAM, FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER CFL, SET TO MAKE LEAGUE BUT

So the ia that they n't be openly gay, wasn't loted the locker room, was disvered si of them real life..., sports may create different typ of ndns that may add to the ncept that they n't e out as openly gay, but for myself, I was not gog to e out the NFL bee I didn't e out llege, I didn't feel fortable to e out high school. I thk we have to take a step back and ask, 'What is about society, what is about ias of toxic masculy, what is about the sexism that we're feedg our young men to believe that's showg up the world, and vg them to believe that they're gay is such a hard thg?

' To be fair, the locker room is a very hypermascule, sexist, homophobic place, but to me, didn't feel that different om the rt of society. "It's been key to be able to have the CFL unrstand the importance of dog work not jt wh players, but also takg players to the muny, engagg and creatg a really betiful dialogue wh dividuals who are impacted when players e homophobic language or when players don't unrstand the impact that they n have the LGBT muny, " he said.

KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

"One thg that I'll say has been most excg is when you see a player for the send time, and he tells you that there are players now who, when someone homophobic or sexist language, someone the locker room feels empowered to speak up, " he said.

"Davis said another important part of YCP's work wh the CFL is not focg on punishg players who e homophobic language, but rather teachg them about s effects and helpg them see who affects.

"What do look like if a player who homophobic language has to go and volunteer, and do work spac where there are dividuals where he n learn who he's actually impactg, to put a face to the apology? The Southeastern Conference fensive player of the year last season me out as gay media terviews this year.

JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

We've seen several stanc of players tweetg homophobic slurs, pecially before Sam actually played the CFL, but those mostly me om players who are no longer the league. Fellow receiver Mrice Price tweeted homophobic ments about Sam 2014, while Price was wh Calgary.

TOMMY GAY

He's now out of the league (but still offerg some anti-gay mentary on Twter). It appears the only player who the CFL has fed for homophobic tweets who's still the league is B.

JOSH CAVALLO BE ONE OF THE FEW PROFSNAL MEN'S FOOTBALLERS TO E OUT AS GAY

In 2012, then-Toronto players Mike Bradwell and Joe Eppele spoke passnately agast homophobia, as did then-Calgary RB Jon Cornish.

Those posive thgs haven't received as much verage as the few homophobic tweets we've seen, but ntroversi do tend to get more attentn. Even beyond that, though, Maver said the ia of homophobic slurs beg regularly flung around the locker room seems to be largely a myth, at least om his perspective.

GAY OR BISEXUAL PLAYERS ON EVERY PRO FOOTBALL TEAM, SAYS FORMER U.S. FOOTBALLER

Then-head ach Tom Higgs and general manager Jim Popp stated unequivolly that homophobia would not be tolerated the locker room.

"The CFL and the NFL were really the first anizatns that had to al wh an openly-gay player the five major sports, and both leagu brought You Can Play as soon as happened, so I was allowed to do trags for the Rams, I did trags for Montreal, so I thk that they handled as bt as they knew how given that they were uncharted terrory.

Sam, the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, had been spend by the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouett earlier this month after the fensive leman left the team's trag mp last week for unexplaed personal reasons. "Bourke said he never saw or heard any homophobic ments or bullyg towards Sam si the Alouett' locker room. "That limelight of both Canadian and ternatnal media focg on the CFL's first gay player, often to the excln of the rt of the league, may have been an issue for some, though.

JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH AND NDNG ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY

Maver said while there will still be challeng, Sam pavg the way should make much easier for any future openly-gay players. "So, now that football has seen an openly-gay football player Michael Sam, I fely thk will make easier for the next one. "Davis said he thks would be ls challengg for another openly-gay CFL player after Sam, pecially given the league's pro-equaly efforts.

"Bourke said any openly-gay player will still face some adversy and scty, but may be ls than what Sam faced.

CARL NASSIB IS THE FIRST ACTIVE NFL PLAYER TO COME OUT AS GAY

Statistics, there's one gay person on every sgle CFL team.

"So, there seems to be substantial support for further openly-gay players the league.