There have been a lot of people in support of Michael Sam coming out of the closet recently, unfortunately one of those people wasn’t his father.
Sam revealed to his Missouri teammates he is gay last August, but he didn’t disclose his sexual orientation to his parents until last week. He said Sunday in interviews with ESPN’s “Outside The Lines” and The New York Times that he is gay.
Michael Sam Sr. told The New York Times that he received the news last Tuesday when his son wrote in a text: “Dad, I’m gay.”
Sam’s father took the news hard. He said he was eating at a Denny’s restaurant but had to leave after receiving the text.
“I couldn’t eat no more, so I went to Applebee’s to have drinks,” Sam Sr. told the newspaper. “I don’t want my grandkids raised in that kind of environment.”
Sam Sr., who described himself as “old-school,” told the newspaper the idea of a gay player in the NFL bothers him, even when that person could be his own son.
As a black man, we have so many hurdles to cross.
This is just one he has to cross,” Sam Sr. told The Times.
