This. Is. HUGE!!!!
University of Missouri defensive end Michael Sam is just months away from fulfilling his dream of playing in the NFL! But before all of the preparation for the draft begins, he decided to drop a huge bombshell and announced he’s gay!!
If you’re wondering why this is such a big deal, it’s because if he does get drafted in May, he’ll be the FIRST openly gay player in league history, and he’s definitely aware of that!
Michael says:
“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.”
Michael came out to his teammates last August during training camp, and he says their support is one of the main reasons he was able to come out this weekend:
“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.”
According to most rankings, Michael is one of the top 20 defensive ends heading into the draft, and he still has PLENTY of work to do before he officially makes it into the league!!
We can’t even begin to say how excited we are at the thought of having the first openly gay player in the NFL and we wish Michael the best of luck heading into the draft!
[Image via AP Images.]