If Jason Collins didn't break the stereotype of gay American male athletes, Missouri Tigers defensive end Michael Sam likely just shattered it. Sam, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award winner, has come out as gay, stunning both the college and pro football world.
In an interview with ESPN's Outside the Lines, Sam said "I understand how big this is. It's a big deal. No one has done this before. And it's kind of a nervous process, but I know what I want to be ... I want to be a football player in the NFL. I am an openly, proud gay man."
While the news may come as a shock to casual observers of football, or those who followed him in the SEC, it wasn't such a well-kept secret among those in his vicinity. "I didn't realize how many people actually knew, and I was afraid that someone would tell or leak something out about me," he said. "I want to own my truth. ... No one else should tell my story but me."
Sam's teammates knew because he opened up to them in the preseason, and that no one spilled the beans is a testament to Missouri's locker room. "Coaches just wanted to know a little about ourselves, our majors, where we're from, and something that no one knows about you," Sam said. "And I used that opportunity just to tell them that I was gay. And their reaction was like, 'Michael Sam finally told us.'
"I was kind of scared, even though they already knew. Just to see their reaction was awesome. They supported me from Day One. I couldn't have better teammates. ... I'm telling you what: I wouldn't have the strength to do this today if I didn't know how much support they'd given me this past semester."
Sam's personal life up to this point has been a roller coaster ride, so while he acknowledged some nervousness about the admission, he has been through worse.
"I endured so much in my past: seeing my older brother killed from a gunshot wound, not knowing that my oldest sister died when she was a baby and I never got the chance to meet her. My second oldest brother went missing in 1998, and me and my little sister were the last ones to see him ... my other two brothers have been in and out of jail since 8th grade, currently both in jail.
"Telling the world I'm gay is nothing compared to that."
As a senior for Missouri Sam racked up 48 tackles, 19 of them for losses. He also recorded 11.5 sacks and forced two fumbles. At six feet three inches and 255 lbs., Sam is a force to be reckoned with and will undoubtedly become the first active, openly gay player in the NFL.
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