Michael Sam, star Missouri fensive end, out as gay | Fox News

Contents:

• BEFORE CARL NASSIB, MICHAEL SAM WAS THE NFL’S FIRST OPENLY GAY DRAFT PICK. HE NEVER PLAYED A REGULAR SEASON GAME.
• MISSOURI FOOTBALL STAR: “I'M AN OPENLY PROUD GAY MAN”
• MICHAEL SAM, FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER, RETIR FOR MENTAL HEALTH REASONS
• MICHAEL SAM, STAR MISSOURI FENSIVE END, OUT AS GAY

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.

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.

MISSOURI FOOTBALL STAR: “I'M AN OPENLY PROUD GAY MAN”

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. Back 2013, Michael Sam was a llege football sensatn who cid to e out as the only known gay profsnal football player at the 2013, Michael Sam was a fensive end for the Missouri Tigers of the South Eastern Conference (SEC) llege football. His play on the field obvly assured him that he would also be playg on Sundays as well for the was Augt of 2013 durg a team meetg, that Sam cid to announce to his llege teammat that he was gay.

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

The word of Sam's g out as a gay player soon ronated throughout sports general as he was the only active, openly gay player at the next year, 2014, saw Sam drafted the seventh round by the (then) St.

In the recent wake of Jon Gn's homophobic (among other thgs) rhetorics which were spewed a 2011 email that forced him to rign, was disvered that Gn ed the words "queer" and "faggot" to scribe Sam when the Rams drafted him back 2014 (for the rerd, Gn also scribed NFLPA executive director DeMrice Smh, who is Ain Amerin, as havg "lips the size of Michell [sic] tir. Missouri's All-Ameri fensive end me out to the entire untry Sunday night and uld bee the first openly gay player Ameri's most popular sport.

"I am an openly, proud gay man, " Sam told ESPN an terview that aired Sunday. "I jt want to go to the team who drafts me, " Sam told ESPN, "bee that team knows about me, knows that I'm gay, and also knows that I work hard. In terviews wh ESPN, The New York Tim and Outsports, Sam said publicly for the first time that he was gay.

MICHAEL SAM, STAR MISSOURI FENSIVE END, OUT AS GAY

The @Colts" tweeted Jason Colls, the pro basketball player who said publicly last season that he is gay.

Garcia was teammat and good iends wh fensive leman Esera Tuaolo, who announced he was gay on HBO's Real Sports 2002 — three years after he left the NFL.