Michael Sam kissing his boyfriend as he celebrated being drafted The St Louis Rams have made it clear they are welcoming openly-gay draftee Michael Sam with open arms. Sam was shown on ESPN breaking into emotional tears, then kissing his boyfriend, when he was given the news he'd been picked up by the NFL team in a phone call from its Head Coach Jeff Fisher. Fisher has told ESPN “In the world of diversity we live in now, I’m honoured to be a part of this and I’m excited about his opportunity to help this football team win." He added “We’re in an age of diversity. The players understand that. They know that. I think the University of Missouri should be commended on how they handled that thing. It’s not a distraction. “People try to make it a distraction, but it’s not a distraction. I’m personally proud of him for coming out. I’m sure it was a very difficult thing for him to do, and I would also submit that it was probably a tremendous load off his shoulders. The truth is out there and he was accepted by so many people.” Sam has told media “I am overwhelmed, I’m excited, and I’m proud to be a Ram. I knew I was going to get picked somewhere. Every team that passed on me, I was thinking about how I was going to sack their quarterback.” President Obama’s sent out a statement through the White House congratulating Sam, his new team and the NFL on the milestone achievement. “The President congratulates Michael Sam, the Rams and the NFL for taking an important step forward today in our nation’s journey. From the playing field to the corporate boardroom, LGBT Americans prove every day that you should be judged by what you do and not who you are.” Ellen DeGeneres is also among the many to congratulate Sam. “So proud of the @STLouisRams for showing there's nothing to be afraid of. Congratulations, @MikeSamFootball” she tweeted.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 12th May 2014 - 10:27am