A year after Michael Sam, the CFL remas mted to welg gay athlet

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On 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 Alouett.

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

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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. "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.

MICHAEL SAM IS 1ST OPENLY GAY MAN TO PLAY CFL REGULAR SEASON GAME

Michael Sam beme the first openly gay pro football player to take part a CFL regular season game for the Montreal Alouett Ottawa on Friday night. * gay cfl player *

MontrealMichael Sam is 1st openly gay man to play CFL regular season gameMichael Sam beme the first openly gay pro football player to take part a CFL regular season game for the Montreal Alouett Ottawa on Friday night.

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

Where's the CFL at for gay players, one year after Michael Sam's stt the league? * gay cfl player *

25-year-old fensive end tak field agast Ottawa RedblacksAlouett' Michael Sam actnFirst openly gay player CFL mak his league but. Michael Sam beme the first openly gay pro football player to take part a CFL regular season game for the Montreal Alouett Ottawa on Friday night. (Jt Tang/The Canadian Prs)The fensive leman signed a two-year ntract wh the Alouett May, although his but was layed after he took personal is the latt tone volvg gay men and pro team Colls 2014 beme the first openly gay NBA player, a year after Robbie Rogers beme the first Major League Soccer.

In June, Major League Baseball nfirmed mor leaguer Sean Conroy had bee the first openly gay active profsnal baseball pro football players who have e out as gay prevly have done so after their reers end. The first openly gay player to play the Canadian Football League is takg his talents to Europe.

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.

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

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. 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. 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.

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

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. "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.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY CFL PLAYER

A year after Michael Sam, the CFL remas mted to welg gay athlet.

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