Michael Sam was a defensive lineman for the Mizzou Tigers, originally from Hitchcock, Texas.  Sam has proven himself as an exceptional football player with a strong football mind and football confidence. He was named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the year, as well as First-Team All-American by Walter Camp, and was named a Hendricks Award Finalist.

Many people are speculating whether or not fellow teammates will be supportive of Sam’s decision to come out. In the ESPN interview, Michael Sam explains that when he came out to his Mizzou teammates, they rallied around him and supported him.

Seattle Seahawks defensive back Malcolm Smith showed his support when he tweeted, “There is no room for bigotry in American sports. It takes courage to change a culture.” Does this mean that the Seattle Seahawks are indeed ready for an openly gay player?

When Sam was asked in the ESPN interview if he was worried about what the fans would yell out, he said, he has always “been focused on the game.”

Sam has proven that he is confident in his sexuality, his physical and mental game and his abilities as an athlete. He showed how confident he was coming out when he stated, “it shouldn’t matter”. Well…should it? Is mental toughness gay or straight? Sam feels the only thing that should matter is that he is a team player, and he can help teams win games.

Let’s examine – Wikipedia defines mental toughness as – a term commonly used by coaches, sport psychologists, sport commentators, and business leaders – generally describes a collection of attributes that allow a person to persevere through difficult circumstances (such as difficult training or difficult competitive situations in games) and emerge without losing confidence

Ellen Ciurczak defines mental toughness as “an attribute of Superbowl champs, corporate CEOs and leaders of all types. There is no course in school that teaches it, but it can be developed. It is one skill that helps determine whether a person is successful or not”.

Although not everyone has been supportive of Sam’s decision to come out to the public, Jonathan Vilma, stated, “I think that he would not be as accepted as much as we think he would be accepted.”

Is this because he is not mentally tough? He can’t win championships? He does not have a strong football mind? He lacks the skills and talent of a professional football player?

We all know that Sam isn’t the 1st gay player in the NFL although he is the 1st one to come out.

Sam says the reason he came out publicly now is because most scouts and media already knew he was gay, and he didn’t want this news to “leak out.” He goes on to say that he wanted to be able to tell his own story.

Sam is controlling the situation. He is controlling how and when people are hearing that he is gay. This sets the platform and give him control over how his mental game will or will not be affected. By eliminating distractions on the front end and eliminating the anxiety about what other people are speculating is setting the ground work for him to have a strong football mind as he move to the next level.

There have been both positive and negative reactions to Sam’s interview. When ESPN producer, Greg Amante, was asked if he thinks the NFL is ready for an openly gay player, he stated that, “this younger generation…are Michael’s professional peers… grown up in a much more tolerant society than previous generations, so I think, for those players, there is going to be a bit more of an understanding for someone like Michael to be their teammate…”

So… is the NFL ready for an openly gay player? Ready or not, here he is comes!