When Michael Sam made history this year as the first openly gay player to be drafted in the NFL, it came as little surprise that he was drafted in his home state by the St. Louis Rams. And in a recent interview with the Associated Press, Sam talks about his new life as a Ram and says that he feels embraced by his new team.
“They respect me as a human being,” he said. “And as a football player.”
Sam says he’s never experienced any offensive or homophobic moments with his new team. In fact, they’ve welcomed him with open arms, especially since he’s a jokester in the locker room.
“If anybody had any reservations about who he was to begin with, he wins them over pretty quick,” said wide receiver T.J. Moe, who played with Sam at Missouri. “They’re laughing so hard, they can’t breathe.”
Defensive Tackle Michael Brockers attested to Sam’s funny side and shared that Sam was recently asked to tell a joke out of the blue in the locker room and, apparently, he had all of his teammates rolling. “Totally funny,” said Brockers.
“We don’t really focus on the outside stuff,” Brockers added. “He’s our brother, he’s on our D-line and that’s where it sits.”
Sam is undoubtedly grateful that he’s walked into such a welcoming environment, but he also understands that he’s got a lot of work to do to carve out his own place in the defensive heavy team and help them win games this upcoming season.
“It’s faster, you’ve got to learn a lot more plays, you’ve got to know what you’re doing,” Sam said after a two-hour session. “You’re supposed to perform at a high level and I’m doing pretty good.”
“I’m telling you, they get after it,” Sam added. “I thought our D-line at Mizzou was pretty tough. This is a whole new level.”
It may seem difficult to Sam now, but considering that he was the SEC co-defensive player of the year last season and that he overcame a mountain of homophobia to become a Ram, we’re sure he’s up to the challenge and can be one of the NFL’s most notable players. – nicholas robinson
