Michael Sam Set To Be the First Openly Gay Player in the NFL

photo courtesy of CNN

Michael Sam came out as gay.  This is a huge deal.  The defensive lineman, who will be available for the NFL draft in May, would be the first openly gay player in the NFL.  There have been gay players before, but they have not come out until retiring from football.  Last year, Jason Collins, the NBA player, came out, but it was at what many considered nearing the end of his career – he has yet to be picked up by an NBA team.

Sam’s coming out is inspiring, eloquent and timely.  Attitudes in the US are changing, and while there are still many opposed to gay’s having basic rights and others who believe being gay is a choice, the majority of Americans accept gays at part of society and a “no big deal attitude”.  In an interview with the New York Times, Sam describes his coming out to his team last August and how he was accepted and supported.  Many shook their hands and told them they knew.  But they kept their silence and let Michael come out publicly in his own time.

Although Sam doesn’t want his sexual orientation to define him, he realizes its importance.

“I understand how big this is,” he said. “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.”

He also addressed the “locker room’ problem proclaimed by homophobes, bigots  and insecure men:

“I mean, people will talk about the stereotype of gays being in the locker room … to me, I think that it’s a little stereotyped that gay people are predators. It’s just very offensive.”

The NFL has reacted with the following statement:

“We admire Michael Sam’s honesty and courage,” NFL senior vice president of communications Greg Aiello said in the statement. “Michael is a football player. Any player with ability and determination can succeed in the NFL. We look forward to welcoming and supporting Michael Sam in 2014.”

What an exciting time for Sam, the NFL, gay rights and America.  This is a new chapter in American history… one our kids will look back on and say “What was the big deal?”

Read the NYT interview here.