National Football League

Michael Sam: Gay players in NFL have reached out to me

Published Dec. 23, 2014 4:43 p.m. ET

foxsports

Michael Sam was the first openly gay player to be drafted to an NFL team, with “openly” being the key word. Several current and former NFL players have apparently revealed that they have played alongside gay teammates, and Sam reiterated that during his lengthy interview with Oprah Winfrey that will air on Saturday.

In a preview that promotes the interview, Winfrey is shown asking Sam to confirm that gay men in the NFL have reached out to him. The former Missouri star nods his head repeatedly.

We would not be surprised to hear that Sam was contacted by gay players who are currently on NFL rosters. While the controversial opinions of some players may make it seem like the NFL is an exclusively straight organization, that’s simply not the way it is.

Sam recently hinted that he believes he is not on an NFL team because of his sexual preference (though he backtracked on Twitter). It will be interesting to see if he elaborated on that stance during his sitdown with Oprah.

Sam, the SEC co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 as a pass-rushing defensive lineman at Missouri, announced publicly that he is gay during the buildup to the NFL Scouting Combine and NFL Draft. With cameras following his every move, Sam lasted until pick No. 249 out of 256 when he was chosen by the St. Louis Rams late in the seventh round. The Rams cut Sam late in training camp, but he was signed to the Dallas Cowboys practice squad on Sept. 3 -- only to be cut in mid-October.