Missouri DE Michael Sam may become first gay athlete to play professionally

On Sunday, Michael Sam told the world that he’s gay; his teammates have known since August. Sam, a 2013 first team All-American and DPOY in the SEC, can become the first openly gay athlete to play professionally this fall after he’s drafted into the NFL in May.

Good for him telling his teammates before the season and now the entire country, and good for his teammates for accepting and supporting him.

Some of his teammates tweeted out support and interestingly enough, many scouts and GMs were already aware of Michael Sam’s sexual orientation.

And as to the question of whether or not this will hurt Sam’s draft stock, it could, but here’s some other food for thought: