Not Surprised: Michael Sam Opens Up About Speaking With Other Gay NFL Players: ‘There’s Some Famous People’

Michael Sam is the only openly gay player associated with the NFL at this time, but there’s a chance that won’t be the case for much longer.

He spoke more about it during an appearance in Dallas yesterday, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

“I am not the only gay person in the NFL, I’m just saying there is a lot of us. I respect the players that did reach out to me and had the courage to tell me that they were also gay, but they do not have the same courage as I do to come out before I even played a down in the NFL.”

Many have wondered why Sam chose to come out before turning pro. He explained his decision:

“Was it a risky move?” he asked. “Yes. But at that moment, the reason why I came out is I thought it wasn’t going to be a big deal. Maybe I was naive. Maybe I thought it was 2014, and people will understand that there’s gay NFL players. There’s gay athletes everywhere. But I was clearly wrong. It was a huge deal.”

Of course there are bound to be other gay NFL athletes sprinkled throughout the league, but Sam says that we may be more familiar with one or two than we think.

“The players who have reached out to me and told me about their sexual orientation, it just means a lot,” he said. “But I will never say anything about who they are, what teams they are [on]. I’m just saying that there’s some famous people, and I’m not the only one.”

We’re ready for more gay athletes to come out of the closet simply for the fact that Michael Sam can’t be the ‘gay spokesperson’ forever.

[via ESPN]