A college football player who has declared for the NFL Draft has come out, in a historic moment for the biggest sport in the US. Missouri Tigers defensive end Michael Sam has told ESPN’s Outside the Lines: "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." Sam says that his experiences playing in all-star game the Senior Bowl shaped his decision to make the announcement: "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." He came out to his Missouri teammates last year during preseason training camp and said they supported him 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." The NFL released a statement on ESPN saying it admires Sam’s honesty and courage and looks forward to supporting him. President Barack Obama also congratulates Sam on the announcement, tweeting: “Congratulations on leading the way, @MikeSamFootball. That's real sportsmanship.” The captain of England’s women’s football team has also spoken out about being lesbian for the first time. Arsenal defender told BBC Sport “I was living a lie,” adding "I've never hidden it within football circles because it is accepted, but to the outside world, I've never spoken about my sexuality. "I feel it's really important for me to speak out as a gay player because there are so many people struggling who are gay, and you hear about people taking their own lives because they are homosexual. That should never happen."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 11th February 2014 - 9:00am