Michael Sam announced this month that he plans to make an NFL comeback next year following a disappointing year of being dropped from two NFL teams and walking away from the Montreal Alouettes. And in a recent interview, Sam shared that he feels that he would be in the NFL already had he not come out of the closet as gay.
In an interview with radio personality Dan Patrick, Sam explained that he wishes he had not been drafted by the St. Louis Rams.
“It was really hard for me. I actually wish I went undrafted, because I could choose a team who needed some really good pass rushers and was weak on the depth chart,” Sam said.
Sam then explained that he originally planned to come out after he made an NFL roster. However, he felt he would’ve been outed had he waited and looking back he feels he ended up a victim to the NFL’s homophobia.
“I’m not going to say … but it probably would have been better for me if I didn’t come out, I would be on a roster,” Sam said. “But, as I said, I have no regrets whatsoever.”
At this point, it’s clear across the board that the NFL, despite what many experts said, wasn’t as open or prepared to have an openly gay man in their league as they claimed. Sam is just now saying what everyone else, sadly, already knew. However, at least he dared greatly enough to try and the impact of his bravery still planted the seed for change in professional sports.
