Michael Sam on Saturday became the
first openly gay football player taken in the National Football
League draft.
The St. Louis Rams picked Sam, a
24-year-old All-American defensive end, in the seventh and final
round.
ESPN filmed the moment Sam, his
boyfriend by his side, received the news by telephone from Rams'
coach Jeff Fischer.
“You are a Ram,” Fischer said.
“The wait is finally over.”
“Thank you,” Sam responded before
breaking down in tears and reaching for his boyfriend for a kiss.
“Thank you to the St. Louis Rams and
the whole city of St. Louis,” Sam wrote in a tweet along with a
picture of himself wearing a Rams hat. “I'm using every [ounce] of
this to achieve greatness!!”
Sam announced he's gay in interviews
with ESPN and The New York Times in February.
Last week, Sam was announced as the
winner of this year's Arthur Ashe Courage Award. He will receive the
award at the 2014 ESPYs on July 16.