Michael Sam says 'famous' NFL players have come out to him as gay

Aspiring NFL defensive end Michael Sam recently spoke in Dallas and said he is far from the only gay player in the NFL, Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram reports.

Sam became the first openly gay NFL player to be drafted last season when the St. Louis Rams selected him in the seventh round.

During a Q&A session, Sam said multiple "famous" players have come out to him as gay.

From the Star-Telegram:

"I am not the only gay person in the NFL. I'm just saying there is a lot of us. I respect the players that did reach out to me and had the courage to tell me that they were also gay, but they do not have the same courage as I do to come out before I even played a down in the NFL.

...

"The players who have reached out to me and told me about their sexual orientation, it just means a lot. But I will never say anything about who they are, what teams they are [on]. I'm just saying there's some famous people, and I'm not the only one."

Sam played several preseason games for the Rams in 2014, but was part of final cuts to get down to the necessary 53-man roster. He joined the Dallas Cowboys' practice roster after, but never made the team and was later cut.

Sam currently participates on "Dancing With the Stars," which he said is his main source of income. He added he hopes he's not being discriminated against in the NFL because of his sexual orientation, noting, "I don't believe I'm out of the NFL because I'm gay. But if it was a reason, it can hurt their livelihood, and you don't want to take that chance."