Must Reads
Michael Sam accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2014 ESPYs for showing the courage to break down barriers for gay athletes before his NFL career ever got started. ESPN produced a powerful video package telling the story of Sam’s journey to the NFL.
It’s a powerful piece that we’ve heard left a lot of people in tears. Sam talks about growing up in Texas and being maced by the police when his brothers, who were involved with drugs, got into trouble. The piece also spends a good amount of time on the last six months of Sam’s life since coming out of the closet. They share never-before-seen footage of NFL Draft Day for Sam, during which he was suddenly convinced he would not be drafted until the St. Louis Rams made that historic phone call to him.
Take a look at the piece. You can see the speech Sam gave that night as well.
