Dale Hansen, the Dallas sports reporter
who spoke out in support of Michael Sam, has denied that his actions
were brave.
Sam is the 24-year-old Missouri Tigers
football player who came out gay last week. If drafted, Sam would
become the NFL's first openly gay player.
In a nearly 2-minute segment which
aired the day after Sam made his announcement, Hansen defended Sam
from critics who claim it would be uncomfortable to have an openly
gay player in the NFL.
Hansen appeared Friday on The Ellen
Show to discuss his statement.
“I wanted to do it because it's such
a great story in so many ways,” Hansen told host Ellen DeGeneres.
“I mean, you have the best defensive player in the best football
conference in America coming out gay with that issue that we've been
fighting about for too long. And then wanting to play in the most
dominant game in America, in the NFL. And I just thought it touched
so many people. It wasn't, and I appreciate your kind words, but it
wasn't a brave thing, it wasn't a great thing I did. The brave thing
and the great thing was what Michael Sam did.”
Hansen added that the response has been
overwhelmingly positive. (The video is embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)