Update Consent
< Back
Slide 5 of 22

Michael Sam

Michael Sam was the first openly gay man to be drafted by an NFL team, called up by the St. Louis Rams in 2014 after a successful college career at the University of Missouri. He came out nationally several months beforehand, telling the New York Times, "I just want to make sure I could tell my story the way I want to tell it. I just want to own my truth." Though Sam was ultimately cut from the Rams and left the sport in 2015, his public coming out left its mark on the league. According to Yahoo Sports, Sam now does public speaking engagements on college campuses.

Image Source: Getty / Joel Auerbach / Contributor