On Sunday, Michael Sam told the world that he’s gay; his teammates have known since August. Sam, a 2013 first team All-American and DPOY in the SEC, can become the first openly gay athlete to play professionally this fall after he’s drafted into the NFL in May.
Good for him telling his teammates before the season and now the entire country, and good for his teammates for accepting and supporting him.
I want to thank everybody for their support and encouragement,especially @espn, @nytimes and @nfl. I am proud to tell my story to the world!
— Michael Sam (@MichaelSam52) February 10, 2014
Want to give an additional thanks to my supportive family and team @HowardBragman @EmpireAthletes @camRONweiss @JoeBarkett
— Michael Sam (@MichaelSam52) February 10, 2014
Some of his teammates tweeted out support and interestingly enough, many scouts and GMs were already aware of Michael Sam’s sexual orientation.
https://twitter.com/ElTorroOcho/status/432685569848524800
GMs and experienced personnel men I spoke with say they were either aware Michael Sam is gay or heard scouts talking about it.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) February 10, 2014
Asked a scouting director if he was aware Mizzou’s Michael Sam is gay. “Of course.” Said he’s a late-round pick, thinks it won’t hurt status
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 10, 2014
And as to the question of whether or not this will hurt Sam’s draft stock, it could, but here’s some other food for thought:
I haven't talked w/ one NFL scout/analyst who thinks Sam is a top-100 guy so if/when he's available on day 3, this news isn't the reason why
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) February 10, 2014
