Michael Sam On NFL Bid: “It Probably Would Have Been Better For Me If I Didn’t Come Out”

Despite it all, Sam says he has no regrets.
From: NewNowNext

 Despite the media scrutiny surrounding NFL hopeful Michael Sam since his public coming out in February, 2014, he was not able to secure a slot on the NFL roster.

Though he was drafted seventh round by the St. Louis rams in 2014 (becoming the first openly gay player to ever be drafted in the league), he was not added to the team’s practice squad. The same thing happened weeks later when Sam was drafted but ultimately dropped pre-season by the Dallas Cowboys.

So why was he passed over? According to Sam, because of his coming out.

 During an interview on The Dan Patrick Show on Friday, Sam blamed the spectacle of his coming out for hurting his chances at advancing his career in the NFL.

“We came out a little early for my taste. I wanted to come out after I made an NFL roster, it really wasn’t supposed to be public,” Sam said during a 13-minute interview. “It was just supposed to be to the team, as I did at the University of Missouri. I wanted to be the one to tell my own story. I didn’t want someone telling it for me.”

Then Patrick asked the million dollar question: “If you didn’t come out, do you think you’d be on a roster right now?”

“I’m not going to say,” Sam responded after stumbling his words a bit, “but it probably would have been better for me if I didn’t come out, I would be on a roster. But, as I said, I have no regrets whatsoever. I helped so many people by owning my truth, I helped myself actually.”

Now, Sam says he’s back a the University of Missouri earning his master’s degree in education and thinking about getting into broadcasting.

During their chat, Sam also briefly addressed the canceled Oprah docu-series, saying “I thought Oprah did a really [good] job. Maybe it was the wrong time for them to announce that.”