I'm determined to be great. I'm determined to make the team," said Michael Sam at a press conference yesterday, during which he spoke candidly about his feelings from the pre-draft, being the first openly gay athlete drafted to the NFL, and his impact on kids throughout the country.
Around 4:30 minutes into the video, a reporter tells Michael a story about a teenager who was inspired to come out to his family.
Reporter: There was a post on the Mizzou Facebook page about a man who told the story of watching the draft with a lot of military people. After you were drafted, his son who is 15 years old, started crying and told his father for the first time that he was gay. The man said, "thank you Mizzou, thank you Michael Sam for being a role model." How do you feel about that?
Michael: I'm honored that I helped someone to be comfortable with who we are – gave them a little courage to speak to his father. But right now I'm just looking forward to continue on my dream. And if it inspires other people. Hey, I'm with you. And anyone that's not okay with that, like I said earlier, if someone disowns you, hey, be part of my family. I'll welcome you.
"Ram up!" he concluded with a laugh, referencing a cheer for his new team, the St. Louis Rams.
As if getting drafted and making history wasn't enough to keep him busy this week, Michael has also received much attention for kissing his boyfriend after getting "the call" from the Rams, which aired on ESPN. Texas-based sports anchor Dale Hansen, whose on-air speech defending Michael against anonymous NFL execs went viral in December, weighed in once again on the recent media coverage: "When Sam was seen celebrating with his family and boyfriend, the world apparently shook; we almost collided with the sun, yet somehow, we have survived another day. Former Texas quarterback Case McCoy tweeted after seeing that picture on ESPN, 'ESPN, are you serious?' Which, ironically, is what most Texas fans said every time Case McCoy ran on the football field."
Check out his full, quick-witted segment below: