LGBTQ

Michael Sam, collegiate football star & NFL prospect, comes out as gay

Missouri football star, Michael Sam, made history today as being the first Division I collegiate football player to come out as openly gay.

Published

12 years ago

February 9, 2014

UVM Staff

Missouri football star Michael Sam made history today as being the first Division I collegiate football player to come out as openly gay. In a brave move the potential NFL prospect revealed what his team already knew to the New York Times.

Sam says: “I am an openly, proud gay man.”

Sam, a 6-foot-2, 260-pound senior, who finished his career at Missouri with an impressive season ending it in winning the Cotton Bowl. He was named a First-Team All-American and the Defensive Player Of The Year in the Southeastern Conference.

The league has also come forward to show their support. In a statement Sunday night, the league said:

“We admire Michael Sam’s honesty and courage. Michael is a football player. Any player with ability and determination can succeed in the N.F.L. We look forward to welcoming and supporting Michael Sam in 2014.”

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Unheard Voices, an award-winning, family-operated online news magazine, began in 2004 as a community newsletter serving Neptune, Asbury Park, and Long Branch, N.J. Over time, it grew into a nationally recognized Black-owned media outlet. The publication remains one of the few dedicated to covering social justice issues. Its honors include the NAACP Unsung Hero Award and multiple media innovator awards for excellence in social justice reporting and communications.