Tribune News Service
Tribune News Service
DALLAS — Michael Sam made history in becoming the first openly gay player drafted into the NFL. But he insists he does not stand alone.
Sam declined to estimate how many gay athletes play in the NFL. But he said that several players contacted him after the St. Louis Rams made Sam a seventh-round draft pick last year.
“I am not the only gay person in the NFL,” Sam said. “I’m just saying there are a lot of us. I respect the players that did reach out to me and had the courage to tell me that they were also gay, but they do not have the same courage as I do to come out before I even played a down in the NFL.
“Was it a risky move? Yes. But at that moment, the reason why I came out is I thought it wasn’t going to be a big deal. Maybe I was naive. Maybe I thought it was 2014, and people will understand that there’s gay NFL players. There’s gay athletes everywhere. But I was clearly wrong. It was a huge deal.
“The players who have reached out to me and told me about their sexual orientation, it just means a lot. But I will never say anything about who they are, what teams they are (on). I’m just saying there’s some famous people, and I’m not the only one.”