What Happened To The NFL's First Active Gay Player, Michael Sam?

Contents:

• MICHAEL SAM, FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER, RETIR FOR MENTAL HEALTH REASONS
• BEFORE CARL NASSIB, MICHAEL SAM WAS THE NFL’S FIRST OPENLY GAY DRAFT PICK. HE NEVER PLAYED A REGULAR SEASON GAME.
• WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NFL'S FIRST ACTIVE GAY PLAYER, MICHAEL SAM?
• MICHAEL SAM COULD BEE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY NFL PLAYER EVER
• CARL NASSIB IS THE FIRST ACTIVE NFL PLAYER TO COME OUT AS GAY
• MICHAEL SAM, FIRST OPENLY GAY NFL PLAYER, CUT OM DALLAS COWBOYS
• WHAT HAPPENED TO MICHAEL SAM? NFL'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER NGRATULAT CARL NASSIB ON SOCIAL MEDIA
• REMEMBERG MICHAEL SAM'S NFL, CFL REER AFTER RAIRS' CARL NASSIB ANNOUNC HE'S GAY
• NFL PRIMED FOR FIRST GAY PLAYER, BUT WILL MICHAEL SAM BE DRAFTED?
• OBAMA NGRATULAT MICHAEL SAM, FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER DRAFTED BY NFL
• CARL NASSIB, FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER NFL GAME, MAK HISTORY AND STARS THRILLG LAS VEGAS RAIRS W
• CARL NASSIB OF LAS VEGAS RAIRS IS FIRST ACTIVE NFL PLAYER TO ANNOUNCE HE IS GAY

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

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.

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

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. 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. 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.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NFL'S FIRST ACTIVE GAY PLAYER, MICHAEL SAM?

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.

One such example clus David Kopay, who was a former NFL athlete back the 1970s who me out as gay.

MICHAEL SAM COULD BEE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY NFL PLAYER EVER

His story was credibly spirg to future generatns of gay football players who may have faced siar challeng on their way to stardom. One such athlete is Michael Sam, the NFL's first active gay football player. Given the lack of gay reprentatn the NFL overall and the still prent stigma surroundg diverse sexualy, this was huge for football.

As stated by The Huffgton Post, 2013, Sam me out as gay to his ach and teammat, beg the NFL's first active gay football player.

Acrdg to the Advote, the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn ed to list homosexualy as a mental illns. An unknown Rams player even lled Sam a homophobic slur. He was also lled slurs by a teammate durg his time at the Universy of Missouri as well, though he was apologized to after beg angry and takg a stand agast the homophobic language.

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

Reportedly, Sam is also pro football's first openly gay ach, markg another tremendo first for the athlete his reer. On Sunday, Missouri fensive leman Michael Sam me out of the closet as a gay man.

If that still happens, he will be the first openly gay NFL player the history of the league.

“I’m gay, ” he said.

MICHAEL SAM, FIRST OPENLY GAY NFL PLAYER, CUT OM DALLAS COWBOYS

Sam set himself on a path to bee the first publicly gay player the Natnal Football League.

"I don't thk football is ready for [an openly gay player] jt yet, " said an NFL player personnel assistant. To ll somebody a [gay slur] is still so monplace.

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

It’s no surprise to anybody that the NFL isn’t exactly gay iendly. In fact, jt a few weeks ago, former NFL punter Chris Kluwe acced the NFL of droppg him for simply supportg gay rights.

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

This is why ’s perfectly legal for those NFL employe to outwardly say that they would not draft Sam simply bee he was gay.

Sam uld bee a symbol for the untry’s gay rights movement or a flash pot a football culture war — or both.

NFL PRIMED FOR FIRST GAY PLAYER, BUT WILL MICHAEL SAM BE DRAFTED?

Gay Rights,. 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.

OBAMA NGRATULAT MICHAEL SAM, FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER DRAFTED BY NFL

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.

You n follow him on Twter at, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys have waived fensive end Michael Sam om their practice squad and signed lebacker Troy, the first openly gay player to be drafted by an NFL team, signed wh the Cowboys on Sept. NFLTuday, October 21, 2014Michael Sam, the first openly gay player the NFL, was waived om the Dallas Cowboys practice squad on Tuday. Brandon Wa / APMichael Sam, fensive end for the Dallas Cowboys, was waived om the practice squad on, a Hchck, TX native, ma natnal headl earlier this year as he beme the first openly gay player NFL history.

CARL NASSIB, FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER NFL GAME, MAK HISTORY AND STARS THRILLG LAS VEGAS RAIRS W

Carl Nassib on Monday beme the first active NFL player to e out as gay.

Carl Nassib has ma history as the first active NFL player to announce that he is gay. Sam beme a trailblazer as the first openly gay athlete to be drafted by the NFL 2014. "I jt feel like bee I me out, I was the first one to do , I uld be a bean for other athlet who may be gay or may be not.

CARL NASSIB OF LAS VEGAS RAIRS IS FIRST ACTIVE NFL PLAYER TO ANNOUNCE HE IS GAY

Michael Sam was the first openly gay player drafted by an NFL team. He found a temporary home shortly thereafter when he signed a two-year ntract wh the Montreal Alouett 2015 and beme the first openly gay football player to play the Canadian Football League. David Kopay me out as gay years after retirg om football.

The board of the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn had only voted to stop classifyg homosexualy as a mental illns 1973. But he was, by all acunts, a pneer, wh Outsports scribg him 2019 as "the most signifint gay athlete morn history. " Durg an terview wh NPR 2005, Kopay spoke on the difficulti of beg a gay man the world of football.

"Beg gay dividual sports is one thg, but beg gay team sports is a whole 'nother, bee... "That's why a lot of people say, `Well, gay people wouldn't f , ' bee their inty is so different. '" Other gay football players have siarly spoken out, remarkg on the stggl of beg closeted such a hyper-mascule world.

"No one is gog to assume the big football player is gay, " he told the magaze.