Missouri Football Star: “I’m an Openly Proud Gay Man” – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Contents:

• OUTSPORTS MALE ATHLET OF THE YEAR: 8 OUT GAY AND BI LLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS
• SAD DETAILS ABOUT THE NFL'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER
• MISSOURI’S MICHAEL SAM ANNOUNC HE IS GAY, MAY BE FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER NFL
• MISSOURI FOOTBALL PLAYER MICHAEL SAM SAYS HE IS GAY, AIMS TO BE FIRST PUBLICLY GAY PLAYER NFL
• MISSOURI FOOTBALL STAR: “I'M AN OPENLY PROUD GAY MAN”
• DABO SWNEY: I PLAYED WH GAY PLAYERS AT ALABAMA
• MICHAEL SAM, LLEGE FOOTBALL STAR AND TOP NFL PROSPECT, SAYS HE’S GAY
• ST LOUIS RAMS CUT MICHAEL SAM, THE FIRST OPENLY GAY NFL PLAYER
• COLLEGE FOOTBALL STAR ANNOUNC HE’S GAY
• MISSOURI FENSIVE END MICHAEL SAM SAYS HE IS GAY
• GAY FOOTBALL PLAYER UPDATE: NFL DRAFT PREDICTN FOR DEFENSIVE END MICHAEL SAM

OUTSPORTS MALE ATHLET OF THE YEAR: 8 OUT GAY AND BI LLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS

Four of the top six most-read Outsports stori of the were related to football and the sport ntu to drive nversatn whenever players e out as gay or bi. This past season saw eight gay or bi players who me out openly, their prence showg that LGBTQ athlet have a place every sport.

One ma history — Wyatt Pertet who 2018 beme the first openly gay player to sre a touchdown. For their prence as out athlet a sport long thought hostile, Outsports has selected the eight gay and bi llege football players as our Male Athlet of the Year.

Cy Hicks, College of Idaho (NAIA) offensive leman, sophomore. Christian Zevogel, Kalamazoo College (Michigan Divisn III) offensive leman, sophomore. "I'm Michael Sam, I'm a football player, and I'm gay, " llege football star Michael Sam told The New York Tim 2014, shortly before he was drafted by the St Louis Rams and beme the NFL's first openly gay player.

SAD DETAILS ABOUT THE NFL'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER

This groundbreakg achievement was met wh ristance as well as praise: football sirs anonymoly predicted that his sexualy would sabotage his reer, top NFL ach secretly lled him slurs, and Sam faced homophobia om other players over kissg his boyiend. " He also clared that Hall of Fame NFL legend Dean Jon would be "turng over his grave" to see an openly gay football player. "Women don't really want to ms wh you after dog all that gay s**t, " Michael Sr.

So the school ved him to pick up their Cotton Bowl trophy at a basketball game 2014, shortly after he me out as gay.

Prr to the event, the Wtboro Baptist Church had announced that they were planng to turn up wh homophobic signs and prott his appearance, as ESPN reported. Stunts at the Universy of Missouri rpond by formg a "human wall" between Sam and the anti-gay protters.

MISSOURI’S MICHAEL SAM ANNOUNC HE IS GAY, MAY BE FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER NFL

"We wanted to do somethg to stand up to the hate, " one sophomore clared. After Michael Sam me out as gay, he received a lot of media attentn. He thks he was cut for beg gay.

MISSOURI FOOTBALL PLAYER MICHAEL SAM SAYS HE IS GAY, AIMS TO BE FIRST PUBLICLY GAY PLAYER NFL

Many seemed to agree wh him, sce his parture spired a flurry of articl about how the NFL had lost the chance to have an openly gay star actively playg for a big team. The Missouri fenr and the Associated Prs’s SEC -fensive player of the year said , owned , and now stands at the ge of one of sports’ last social ontiers: beg the first openly gay NFL player.

“I am an openly proud gay man, ” Sam, 24, was quoted as sayg reports posted Sunday by ESPN and the New York, a 6-foot-2, 255-pound all-Amerin, ma his announcement two weeks before the annual NFL sutg be, and early reactn Sunday eveng suggted his cisn was meant part to answer qutns he’ll face anyway Indianapolis. Some players have been outspoken about their reluctance to play alongsi a gay teammate, and others suggted publicly that they would pay no attentn to a teammate’s sexualy — as long as his play was much of the draft's attentn will center on whether Sam's announcement affects his draft stock. Former NBA player Jason Colls announced last April he is gay, followg John Amaechi's announcement 2007.

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

“I don’t do the gays, man, ” Culliver said last year, days before his team played the Super Bowl. No, we don’t got no gay people on the team; they got to get up out of here if they do.

DABO SWNEY: I PLAYED WH GAY PLAYERS AT ALABAMA

”Chris Kluwe, a longtime NFL punter and gay rights advote, wrote last month on Deadsp that he heard equent gay slurs om a Mnota Vikgs assistant ach and believed he was cut bee of his support for same-sex marriage, though the Vikgs strongly disputed the said, acrdg to the reports, his announcement was prompted part by circulatg mors two weeks ago at the Senr Bowl, where NFL team reprentativ gather to sut players enterg the draft. So, wh two gay players takg the field the top tier of llege football this season, has the future fally charged onto the turf?

Here's a list of players llege and pro ball who have proved you n be gay or bi and still n the gntlet.

MICHAEL SAM, LLEGE FOOTBALL STAR AND TOP NFL PROSPECT, SAYS HE’S GAY

Roy "Sugar Bear" Simmons, an offensive leman for the New York Giants and Washgton Redsks, beme the send NFL player ever to publicly reveal he was gay. So Coach Vce Lombardi knew McDonald was gay when he took over learship of the team 1969, but ma clear there would be no discrimatn his locker room, those close to the legend say. Cornerback Wa Davis, who played preason wh the Tennsee Tans, Seattle Seahawks and Washgton Redsks and spent two seasons wh NFL Europe teams Berl Thunr and Barcelona Dragons, me out as gay 2012, nearly a after his retirement.

He would later nfirm his sexualy on CNN and s down wh ESPN to discs the challeng of growg up gay Jamai and playg football while closeted. He later cled to sign wh the Tennsee Tans and Dallas Cowboys before g out as gay at 24, he told Philalphia Magaze 2013. He would later move to San Francis and jo the Fog, a gay gby team, and pen a g-out blog post 2015.

ST LOUIS RAMS CUT MICHAEL SAM, THE FIRST OPENLY GAY NFL PLAYER

Wyatt Pertet, a special teams player and receiver for Capal Universy, will be a sophomore this season. A llege football star, poised to bee an early NFL draft pick May, announced Sunday that he's gay and proud of .

""I am an openly, proud gay man, " Sam, 24, last year's Southeast Conference fensive player of the year, said terviews wh ESPN and the New York Tim.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL STAR ANNOUNC HE’S GAY

Projected by some to be taken the early rounds of the NFL draft this summer, Sam would bee the first openly gay profsnal football sgs the Missouri fight song afetr the Tigers feat Indiana, 45-28. (Brandon Wa/AP)No NFL player has ever publicly admted beg gay while still the league.

MISSOURI FENSIVE END MICHAEL SAM SAYS HE IS GAY

Sam's revelatn ls than a year after former New Jersey Nets basketball player Jason Colls announced he's gay a Sports Illtrated article. "And I ed that opportuny jt to tell them that I was gay. (GM Andrews/AP)Sam said he was nervo about g out, even though he was aware that many of his teammat and ach already assumed he was gay.

I didn't want to say, 'Hey, I might be gay.

GAY FOOTBALL PLAYER UPDATE: NFL DRAFT PREDICTN FOR DEFENSIVE END MICHAEL SAM

" Lookg to the NFL, Sam said, "I jt want to go to the team who drafts me bee that team knows about me, knows that I'm gay, and also knows that I work hard. AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSports of The TimNassib’s g-out announcement has been met wh largely posive rpons, a receptn other football players who publicly intified as gay, like Dave Kopay, did not Buckner/Getty Imag for AdvoteA day is g when this will not make Kopay, now 78, was the first major team athlete North Ameri to publicly e out as gay. ”Michael Sam, a star leman at Missouri, me out as gay through terviews wh ESPN and The New York Tim.