Michael Sam: I’m Not the Only Gay Man in the NFL

Michael Sam, the first openly gay man to play in an NFL game, told Oprah Winfrey that there are “a lot” of gay men in the NFL, some of whom have reached out to him.

“A very few reached out to me,” Sam said in an interview set to air on Saturday. “[They] told me their gratitude and how they were thankful that I have the courage … They wish they had the courage to come out.”

Sam, who was cut from the St. Louis Rams after the preseason, signed with the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, but was waived in October and is currently a free agent.

“There’s a lot of us out there,” Sam continued. “I’m not the only one. I’m just the only one who’s open.”

Sam was the subject of much contention over the summer, when ESPN aired a controversial report about Sam’s showering habits that was later walked back. In addition, former NFL coach Tony Dungy came under fire for saying Sam would be a “distraction” to any NFL team.

Watch the video below, via OWN:

[h/t TPM]
[Image via screengrab]

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