NFL Countdown: The Rams make history by picking first openly gay athlete
The NFL is all about being inclusive to everyone. Race, religion, or sexual orientation should never prevent players from being welcomed with open arms. For today's NFL Countdown, we will take a look at the first gay player to be drafted into the league.
The first-ever openly gay NFL player was defensive end Michael Sam. He was picked by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Michael Sam kisses boyfriend after getting call that he's been drafted by the Rams #NFLDraft: http://t.co/K7LlESFhlj
Playing college football at the University of Missouri (Mizzou), Sam was a beast in his senior year. He registered 11.5 sacks, while picking up 19 tackles for loss. Such was his form throughout the season, Sam won the Co-SEC Defensive Player of the Year and also won first-team All-SEC selection. He then declared for the NFL Draft.
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St. Louis Rams create NFL history with Michael Sam selection
The St. Louis Rams created history during the 2014 Draft when they selected Michael Sam in the seventh-round. At the time, he was the first openly gay athlete to be drafted into the NFL.
To say that Sam was estatic when he was selected is an understatement. He said that it was the greatest moment of his life. He said to the media:
"The moment my name was called was the single greatest moment of my life."
He continued:
"Let me tell you something, if we were playing the Vikings right now, I'd probably have three sacks the first game. Since February and my big announcement, this has been a whole [lot of] speculation of the first openly gay football player, but you know what? It's not about that. It's about playing football."
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Sam made his Rams debut during the 2014 preseason against the New Orleans Saints. He then saw gametime against the Green Bay Packers and the Cleveland Browns. He finished the preseason with three sacks and 11 tackles per ESPN, as he showed what he can do on the field.
Unfortunately, that was not enough for the defensive end to keep his spot on the roster and was cut just two days after the final preseason game. As is the case with most players when cut, they can then bounce around the league and Sam was no different.
He made a stop at Dallas in 2014 as a practice squad member before again being cut. He then found is way to the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes as he signed a two-year deal, but that didn't pan out either.
Sam's football career did not pan out the way that he wanted. But he blazed a path for other gay athletes, helping to fight social stigma and homophobia in the wider world. What Sam has achieved off the field is far more important than what he could have playing football. This is something he should be exceptionally proud of.
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