Michael Sam was no too distracted to make the NFL as a gay player - Outsports

Contents:

• BEFORE CARL NASSIB, MICHAEL SAM WAS THE NFL’S FIRST OPENLY GAY DRAFT PICK. HE NEVER PLAYED A REGULAR SEASON GAME.
• MICHAEL SAM, FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER, RETIR FOR MENTAL HEALTH REASONS
• REMEMBERG MICHAEL SAM'S NFL, CFL REER AFTER RAIRS' CARL NASSIB ANNOUNC HE'S GAY
• CARL NASSIB IS THE FIRST ACTIVE NFL PLAYER TO COME OUT AS GAY
• MICHAEL SAM SAGA MIGHT KEEP OTHER GAY NFL HOPEFULS OM G OUT, FORMER EXEC SAYS
• NFL PROSPECT MICHAEL SAM OUT AS GAY
• JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN IS FIRST MALE NFL ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
• MICHAEL SAM: NFL DRAFT PROSPECT REVEALS HIS GAY SEXUALY
• JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN IS FIRST AMERIN MALE PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
• RAIRS’ CARL NASSIB ANNOUNC HE’S GAY, AN N.F.L. FIRST
• JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH COACH COM OUT AS GAY IN A FIRST FOR U.S.-BASED PRO LEAGU
• WHAT HAPPENED TO MICHAEL SAM? NFL'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER NGRATULAT CARL NASSIB ON SOCIAL MEDIA

BEFORE CARL NASSIB, MICHAEL SAM WAS THE NFL’S FIRST OPENLY GAY DRAFT PICK. HE NEVER PLAYED A REGULAR SEASON GAME.

Seven years before Las Vegas Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player to e out as gay on Monday, an all-Amerin om the Universy of Missouri risked a promisg reer wh a public claratn. “I am an openly proud gay man, ” Michael Sam, a 24-year-old fensive end, told ESPN and the New York Tim Febary announcement followed a surprisg 12-2 season for Missouri, which won the SEC East and then the Cotton Bowl as Sam was named the SEC fensive player of the year.

MICHAEL SAM, FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER, RETIR FOR MENTAL HEALTH REASONS

On Tuday, Sam thanked Nassib for jog the ranks of LGBTQ football players, payg special tribute to the donatn Nassib ma to the Trevor Project, a nonprof foced on suici Vegas Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib announced June 21 on Instagram that he is gay, makg him the first active NFL player to e out.

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

The NFL particular had faced cricism for allegedly askg prospects about their sexual orientatn and had been acced of hamperg players who spoke out favor of gay many profsnal athlet around the world, cludg several retired NFL players, had e out by 2014, no one who was still playg football had dared to make that move before story rurfaced on Monday when the 28-year-old Nassib, who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns 2016 and now plays for the Rairs, announced that he is gay a vio on Instagram. “Here’s the tth: Everyone ow Michael Sam such a b of gratu, ” Wa Davis, a former NFL rnerback who me out as gay 2012, told The Washgton Post on Monday. He wasn’t the only gay man who stggled to fd a place the NFL after g retired NFL players have publicly intified as gay, begng wh Dave Kopay, who me out 1975, three years after leavg the sport.

Michael Sam, who 2014 beme the first openly gay player to be drafted by an NFL team, announced on Twter Friday eveng that he is walkg away om football for mental health reasons.

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

After he failed to fd a al wh an NFL team, Sam signed wh the Montreal Alouett of the Canadian Football League, at which pot he beme the CFL's first openly gay player. 7, he beme the first openly gay player to play a regular season CFL game, though he did not register any tackl or sacks his appearanc.

Carl Nassib this week beme the first active NFL player to e out as gay. And wh his announcement, the Las Vegas Rairs fensive end jos a small group of openly gay men profsnal sports. Former NBA center Jason Colls, who me out 2013 and beme the first openly gay athlete any of the four major US sports leagu, wrote that he was “very proud” of Nassib.

In 2014, unr a 10-day ntract wh the Brooklyn Nets, he ma history aga as the first openly gay man to play an NBA game.

MICHAEL SAM SAGA MIGHT KEEP OTHER GAY NFL HOPEFULS OM G OUT, FORMER EXEC SAYS

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? Carl Nassib is officially the first ACTIVE NFL player to e out as gay.

NFL PROSPECT MICHAEL SAM 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.

JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN IS FIRST MALE NFL ACH 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. Carl Nassib Is The First Active NFL Player To Come Out As Gay "I jt want to take a quick moment to say that I'm gay, " he said an Instagram vio.

Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib said on Monday that he would not have been able to publicly e out as gay whout the support of the NFL and his teammat. " "I jt want to take a quick moment to say that I'm gay, " Nassib said an Instagram vio he posted on his verified Instagram acunt. " Nassib is by no means the first gay football player the NFL, but he is the first openly gay active player the league to play the regular season.

Michael Sam me out as gay followg his succsful llege reer and before the 2014 NFL draft, makg him the first publicly gay player to be drafted the NFL. The NFL still hasn’t field an openly gay player durg a regular-season game. 6 percent of Amerins as eher gay or lbian, ’s likely that closeted draft prospects or veteran players have crossed the NFL radar sce Sam ma his proclamatn three years ago.

MICHAEL SAM: NFL DRAFT PROSPECT REVEALS HIS GAY SEXUALY

MORE: Openly gay athlet.

MORE: Michael Sam told he's "not gay enough" and "not black enough". Sam later tried the Canadian Football League and beme s first openly gay player to appear a regular-season game, but he ultimately left the Montreal Alouett for personal reasons.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN IS FIRST AMERIN MALE PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

-founr Cyd Zeigler sists the only reason Sam didn’t make a 53-man NFL roster is bee he is gay. Banner said the Browns already “thought we knew” Sam was gay before his announcement was ma.

“The SEC -fensive player of the year om the Universy of Missouri would be first publicly gay active NFL player if drafted.

RAIRS’ CARL NASSIB ANNOUNC HE’S GAY, AN N.F.L. FIRST

NFL prospect Michael Sam out as gay. Michael Sam, the Universy of Missouri fensive end who was the SEC’s -fensive player of the year 2013, has e out publicly as gay.

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH COACH COM OUT AS GAY IN A FIRST FOR U.S.-BASED PRO LEAGU

If selected the May draft or if signed as a ee agent, he would bee the first publicly gay player NFL history.

“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. If someone on the street would have asked me, ‘Hey, Mike, I heard you were gay. I gus they don’t want to ask a 6-3, 260-pound fensive leman if he was gay or not.

WHAT HAPPENED TO MICHAEL SAM? NFL'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER NGRATULAT CARL NASSIB ON SOCIAL MEDIA

In g out now, Sam said he wanted him beg gay to be known to the fans and ont office of any team that drafted him. It was only once he enrolled at Missouri that he fally realized he was gay. While he said many people on the team knew or spected, he told them all he was gay durg a team bondg meetg Augt.